An upcoming fundraiser for the Northern Illinois Food Bank will help its executive women’s council meet the goal of making sure no children go to bed hungry and also educate participants on luring butterflies to their gardens.
The 2nd annual Cup of Hope formal tea, complete with sparkling wine, teas and finger sandwiches, is set for Sunday, March 5, at Hotel Arista in Naperville. The event raised more than $35,000 last year, enabling over $280,000 in groceries to be provided to those in need, said Jennifer Nau, the food bank’s director of communications.
Nancy Hatmaker Ristau, an organic gardener, will discuss what to plant to create a habitat to lure butterflies to backyard gardens each year.
The executive women’s council began with about eight women meeting over breakfast in the summer of 2015, said Karen Golden of Naperville.
Today, the group has grown to 22 women whose mission it to raise funds and awareness about the food bank.
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“While people may be aware of the food bank, many don’t know what they do and the extent with which they do it,” Golden said.
Nau said more than 71,500 people in a 13-county area rely each week on the Northern Illinois Food Bank and its extensive network of 800 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and youth and senior centers.
Golden’s family volunteers at the West Suburban Community Food Pantry in Woodridge. Her oldest son, a student at Naperville Central, would ride his bike there in the summer and would see people lined up for food before it opened..
“For him, that was a very sobering moment,” she said.
The money raised at the Cup of Hope event benefits two programs — Milk2MyPlate, which supplies a weekly supply of fresh milk from a local dairy, and the BackPack program, which provides a weekend supply of food for a child and up to two family members. School staff identify the children who show signs of chronic hunger or are part of families in need.
Last year, the food bank hosted 194 BackPack program sites that distributed 64,928 backpacks as well as 168,290 gallons of 1% milk.
If You Go
Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Cup of Hope
Sunday, March 5
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Hotel Arista, 2139 City Gate Lane, Naperville
Cost: $100 per person for tea, sandwiches, pastries and fruit, plus a shot at raffle prizes.
For more information visit http://solvehungertoday.org/