Pingree holiday train helps feed hungry
The residents of Pingree Grove and surrounding communities recently enjoyed an early Christmas celebration. The Canadian Pacific Railway teamed up with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to help put hunger in the spotlight. For the second year, the railroad brought the Holiday Train to Pingree Grove much to the delight of roughly 200 people. The last time the train came to Pingree Grove was in 2008.
The Holiday Train consists of 14 decorated rail cars lighted with hundreds of thousands of LED lights and a drop-down boxcar. Once the train pulled to the waiting public, the boxcar opened with to showcase performances by Santa Claus and a band. Check presentations were made by Bank of America for $120,000, Fischer Charitable Trust for $25,000, and the Canadian Pacific Railway for $1,000. In addition to monetary gifts, attendees were encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item. This year, more than 1,300 pounds of food were donated by the public with an additional 10,000 pounds from Flood Brothers.
“The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train is a way to bring to light the serious issue of hunger in the communities we serve,” said H. Dennis Smith, agency president and CEO. “The ongoing recession and sustained high levels of unemployment are really taking their toll on our neighbors in need. In Kane County, the most recent unemployment figures show that 8.3 percent of people are without a job. We are so grateful for the village of Pingree Grove and the Canadian Pacific Railway for their generosity in providing hope to families in need.”
Kane County has 44,955 residents living at the poverty level. The agency, along with more than 100 program partners, provides food assistance to children, seniors, working poor and the homeless in need. More than 3.6 million pounds of food has been distributed in Kane County this past year. The federal poverty level for a family of four is $22,050 annual income.
Feeding America's Food Bank of the Year, Northern Illinois Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that provides food to all those in need through its 665 partner agencies in 13 counties. It acquires, gathers, handles, and distributes donated, government, and purchased food to more than 61,000 different people each week through local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, youth activity centers and other food assistance sites. In fiscal year 2010, it distributed more than 35 million pounds of food. The food bank has launched a capital campaign to build a new food distribution and community nutrition center to enable them to handle more food more efficiently to meet increasing demand.