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February 6, 2008

Art students at Mahomet-Seymour High School are conducting a fundraiser on behalf of the Foodbank on Friday, February 29 from 6-8 PM at the school. Donate $5 to eat soup and check out the art show - or donate $10 and go home with a bowl made by an art student. All proceeds will go to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank.

For more information, please email slee@ms.k12.il.us.

December 5 , 2007

• Local press - The News-Gazette recently published a great article about the Foodbank, reminding us that hunger's with us every day, not just during the holidays.  Click on our holiday logo above to contribute online now - we have 390,000 meals to provide food for in December.

• STUFH -Check out this article on Students Team Up to Fight Hunger, a University of Illinois chapter of a national group that was founded to fundraise, collect food, and volunteer at food banks in participating schools' regions.  The U of I chapter has already raised about $400, and hopes to meet their goal of $1000 raised (and much food collected!) by the end of the semester.

• WCIA Channel 3 interview - EIF Director of External and Agency Relations Andrea Rundell and Executive Director Jim Hires about the rising demand and diminishing supply in the foodbanking.  A good reminder about the importance of stepping up donations!  Every little bit counts, since the Foodbank can turn every $1 donated into $10 worth of food going to people in need.

• Food drives - Thank you to Parkland College, whose Biology 120-001 students collected 500 boxes of cereal in 3 days for the Foodbank. Thanks also go out to the fine folks at Flex N Gate, Cardinal Fitness, and many other local businesses who collected (and are continuing to collect) food for the Foodbank.

• Local bloggers: Champaign-Urbana has many active bloggers - these folks have supported the Foodbank's work this year: Wordy Diva, Little Blog on The Prairie, Chicken and Cheese, It's Matt's World, and Champaign Taste. Thank you!

• We just finished wrapping up our 21st Annual Food for Families food and fund drive!  It ran October 13th - October 27th.  Congratulations to St. John Lutheran and Countryside School as well for raising the most money for the Foodbank during Food for Families, and thanks again to our sponsors!  Read more about it here. 

                  Food for Families sponsors:

                                                                                                                                with   and 

Other promotional consideration has been provided by:

        and  

and a special thanks to the schools that participated in the Change for Change drive!

THANK YOU!!!

IMPORTANT RECALL INFORMATION

Below please find an article from the Associated Press regarding a recent canned food recall.

THE EASTERN ILLINOIS FOODBANK DOES NOT HAVE THESE PRODUCTS ON ITS SHELVES. Our warehouse staff is aware of the recall and will be inspecting all donated food to ensure that none of the recalled food enters our facility.

Our agencies have been apprised of this recall and will also inspect any donated food they receive.

(AP) -- Castleberry's Food Co. has recalled more than 90 chili sauce, hash and other canned meat products since the Food and Drug Administration released a warning about the suspected source of a botulism outbreak.

The initial 10 products recalled were:

• Castleberry's Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz. cans
• Austex Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz. cans
• Kroger Hot Dog Chili Sauce, 10 oz. cans
• Morton House Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz. cans
• Cattle Drive Chili with Beans, 15 oz. cans
• Southern Home Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz. cans
• Meijer Corned Beef Hash, 15 oz. cans
• Castleberry's Chili with Beans, 15 oz. cans
• Castleberry's Barbecue Pork, 10 oz. cans
• Bunker Hill Chili No Beans, 10 oz. cans

Each can label or can end bears the establishment number "EST. 195" inside the USDA seal of inspection.

Consumers with questions about the recall should contact Castleberry's consumer hot line at 1-888-203-8446.

Other products have since become part of a voluntary recall. Please click here for more information.

Thank you.

HUNGER AWARENESS DAY 2007

Tuesday, June 5 is Hunger Awareness Day. Hunger relief organizations around the US, led by America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, observe Hunger Awareness Day every June and use the occasion to heighten the profile of food insecurity regionally and nationwide.

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank will observe Hunger Awareness Day over two days:

- Monday night, June 4, we're presenting Working For Food: Food Insecurity in Eastern Illinois, a symposium framing hunger issues in our region using the expertise of several people who see the effects of food insecurity on our community every day. Our panelists are community members working in health care, food manufacturing, education, emergency food provision, community food and nutrition, and food production.

A healthy food system for all residents should be a top priority. Come give us your input!

DATE: Monday, June 4, 2007

TIME: 5:30-7:30 PM

WHERE: Douglass Community Center, 504 E. Grove Street, Champaign - go here for a map

For more information about this event, you can download a flyer here. You can also check the information available at Facebook and the Hunger Awareness Day site.

- Tuesday, June 5, we'll be working with Champaign Telephone, Schnucks Urbana, and

C-U Radio Group for our first annual Hunger Awareness Day Radiothon! Tune in to the stations below between 6 AM - 6 PM to hear Foodbank staff and other guests talking about the Foodbank, how it works, who we serve, and how people can help. Listeners will be able to call in all day to pledge their financial support, and the Foodbank's truck will park at the Schnucks in Urbana to accept food and cash donations from 3-6 PM.

Thanks to C-U Radio Group:

And also to these folks for their support:

May 15, 2007

At the end of every school year, the University YMCA orchestrates the mighty "Dump & Run" - an opportunity for students to donate their used clothes, furniture, books, unopened food and other items before they leave town for the summer. The collected items are then sold to returning students (and townies!) alike at the Dump & Run sale, held every August at the Stock Pavilion on the U of I campus . For more information on the sale, click the Y's logo above.

This year, for the first time, the Foodbank and the Y paired up for Dump & Run:

Time to unload at the YMCA! (photo by Cody Bralts-Steindl)

Thanks to this partnership, food items that would have otherwise gone to the landfill will get to area residents in need this summer. That's what we call partnership. Thanks, University YMCA!

May 11, 2007

Many thanks to all who gave for the Feinstein Challenge! We can't do what we do without your help, and your donations go a long, long way toward alleviating hunger in our area. Thank you.

For more information about the Feinstein Challenge, click here.

In other news, it's that time of year again:

The National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive takes place this year on Saturday, May 12. It's an easy way to donate to the Foodbank and will do so much good - with kids out of school for the summer, our agencies and programs can really use those canned and boxed meals, canned fruits and vegetables, canned beans and meats, and other nutritious food items.

To donate, just leave non-perishable food items in a bag near your mailbox - your letter carrier will come by to deliver your mail AND pick up your donation.

As always, thanks so much!

                 Hunger Awareness Day 2007

Tuesday, June 5 is Hunger Awareness Day. Watch this space for more information- the Foodbank has big plans, and we'll let you know just what they are after May 4.

In the meantime, you can download the latest newsletter from the Foodbank here . It's a PDF file - you'll need Adobe Reader to see it. Get Adobe Reader here.

December 5, 2006

THANK YOU!!!

The Eastern Illinois Foodbank's Food For Families Drive has come to a close. While the final numbers are not yet in, this year's drive exceeded our expectations.

The Foodbank appreciates the generosity of this community - we couldn't do it without you :

• everyone who donated food and/or funds
• all the area schools, businesses, and grocery stores that acted as food collection sites
• the City of Urbana's Market at the Square
• and, of course, our sponsors:

October 17, 2006

FOOD FOR FAMILIES' KICKOFF AT THE SQUARE!!!

The Foodbank is excited to be kicking off its 20th Annual Food For Families Drive at Urbana's Market at the Square, located in the parking lot of Lincoln Square Mall near downtown Urbana. Foodbank staff will be at the Market on Saturday, October 28, 2006 from 9-noon. We'll be giving away Foodbank stuff, painting faces, hanging out with cool radio station personalities, accepting donations of non-perishable food, and encouraging everyone to help us alleviate hunger and nourish stronger communities. Many thanks to the Market at the Square folks for helping us get Food For Families 2006 off to a festive start.

* For a PDF copy of this year's poster, which details the foods desired by the Foodbank and lists some food dropoff locations, click here.

Of course, we couldn't be doing this without our sponsors:

September 28, 2006:

We're gearing up here at the Foodbank for a busy Fall! We've received lots of terrific press in recent weeks for the Backpack program and our work with United Way; the October newsletter is now available for download; we've been spotted tabling at Urbana's Market at the Square.

Really, though, we're getting excited for the 20th Annual Food For Families Drive- the Eastern Illinois Foodbank's biggest fundraiser (and "foodraiser"!).

This year mark's Food For Families' 20th year - since 1986, Food For Families has been raising food and funds to help feed food insecure individuals and households. Over 3 million pounds of food and many dollars have been raised in those twenty years - that's a lot of meals helping yourfriends and neighbors in eastern Illinois.

This year's Food For Families goals:

$60,000 in funds

185,000 in pounds of food

Watch this space - we'll be publishing ideas for ways YOU can donate and help the 20th Annual Food For Families Drive be the biggest in its history.

July 2006:

The new issue of Table Matters, our thrice-yearly newsletter, is out and available for download! Please click here to access the PDF. Access to the download requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free and downloadable here). Feedback is welcome - just email Lisa with questions and comments.

Remember, you don't have to mail donations to the Foodbank. If you'd like to contribute immediately, just click this link to make your donation via credit card.

Thank you.

June 2006: