Feed the Need by helping with Community MobilePack™ event

Thousands of volunteers are set to descend on North Central College in Naperville in an effort to defeat hunger worldwide.

Now in its 12th year, the Feed the Need!™ Community MobilePack™ event in support of Feed My Starving Children will take place Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 18-19, in North Central's Res/Rec Center.

This year to date, $100,000 has been raised through the Community MobilePack event. The goal is to raise $240,000 by the end of the event, enough to pack 1 million meals for those in need. While volunteers are welcome, monetary donations also make a significant difference. A $5 donation to FMSC can feed 21 meals to children in need and help FMSC reach their goal of feeding thousands of children each year.

This event is made possible by the support of volunteers, 24 interfaith groups and 10 businesses and civic organizations, including Gerald Cares, an initiative through the Gerald Auto Group. Gerald Auto Group is a "super sponsor" of Feed the Need!™, donating 83,000 meals to the effort, said Bob Huebner, co-founder and business/civic group sponsor of the Feed the Need!™ Community MobilePack™.

"Gerald Auto Group is the largest corporate sponsor of this event," Huebner said. "It shows how much they care and want to give back to help these children survive. It's not just Feed My Starving Children - Gerald donates to many local charities in the DuPage County area - this is just one of many."

A total of five 90-minute packing sessions with an estimated 1,000 volunteers each are planned. Volunteers will pack balanced and nutritious meals containing vitamin powder, dehydrated vegetables, soy and rice for children impacted by malnutrition. The food will be distributed by 15 missions and humanitarian organizations to children in 14 countries around the world.

"As a company, one of our passions is supporting those in need - both in the local community and in support of those who meet needs around the world," said Donna Lawler, Vice President of the Gerald Auto Group. "With such a life-changing mission, this event is one that our team - down to the employees who donate their time - finds to be incredibly important."

Through the years Feed the Need!™ has been in existence, Gerald Auto Group has generously donated more than 700,000 meals, Huebner said.

For information on volunteering or donating to Feed the Need!™, visit feedtheneedillinois.org. To learn more about Gerald Auto Group's community giving activities, visit www.geraldcares.com or to learn more about its dealerships, visit www.geraldauto.com.