MrsPR | Non Profits | June Declared Hunger Awareness Month in Chicago and Cook County

Food Depository Organizes Numerous Events, Opportunities for People to Help Local Hunger-Relief Efforts

June has officially been declared Hunger Awareness Month by both the city and Cook County, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository is planning a month-long series of events and opportunities where supporters can help hunger-relief efforts. National Hunger Awareness Day is observed on June 7.

Food drives and fund-raising events to benefit the Food Depository during Hunger Awareness Month will include:

-- US 99.5 & Jewel-Osco Country Thunder Ticket Give Away and Food Drive.
Held all month at select Jewel-Osco locations.
-- Chicago Muslim Association Food Drive through June 7th. Collection bins
at numerous mosques and community centers throughout Chicagoland.
-- Cooking classes to benefit the Food Depository at: The French Culinary
Experience School of Cuisine in Wheeling; Asian Fusion on June 2;
Chocolate on June 19; and Foods of Israel on June 30.
-- Office Depot Food Drive. From June 2 to June 10 at all Office Depot
locations.
-- Whole Foods Food Drive. From June 6 to June 10 at all Whole Foods
locations.
-- Jewel-Osco and Food For All donation card promotion. From June 7 to
July 5 at the check-out stand in all Jewel-Osco locations.
-- "Best Trade of the Day" Fund Drive to benefit Kids Cafes(R), a program
of America's Second Harvest administered in Cook County by the Food
Depository. On June 7 at the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Board
Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Stock
Exchange.
-- 20th Annual Hunger Walk. Fun for family and friends on June 18 at
Montrose Harbor to benefit the Food Depository's member soup kitchens,
food pantries and shelters.
-- Race to the Taste Food Drive hosted by the Mayor's Office of Special
Events. 5K run and 2 mile walk on June 26 from Balbo and Columbus.

"Around Chicago, we are fortunate to have so many active supporters and partners in the fight against hunger. Every week, the Food Depository serves approximately 91,000 people through a network of 600 member soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters. We wouldn't be able to do that without a lot of help from the community," said Mike Mulqueen, executive director of the Food Depository. "Hunger Awareness Month presents fun and interesting ways that people can help us continue to focus attention and resources on this problem of hunger among children, women and men in our communities."

June 7 marks the fourth observance of National Hunger Awareness Day, a grassroots movement to raise awareness about the solvable problem of hunger in America. Activities will be taking place in communities across America to mark the date and help local food banks. A local initiative of the Food Depository, Hunger Awareness Month has been declared by official proclamation by both the City of Chicago and Cook County.

For updated activity listings, more details about event locations and other ways to get involved in local hunger-relief efforts during Hunger Awareness Month and throughout the year, please visit the Food Depository's website, http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/ , or call 773.247.FOOD (3663).

The Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago's food bank, is a not-for- profit food distribution center providing food for hungry people while striving to end hunger in our community. The Food Depository distributes donated and purchased food through a network of 600 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters to more than 91,000 adults and children every week. Last year, the Food Depository distributed more than 40 million pounds of non-perishable food and fresh produce, dairy products, meat and poultry. For more information, log on to http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/ or call 773.247.3663.

CONTACT: Renee A. Prejean-Motanky, +1-773-843-2844, raprejean@gcfd.org ,
or Ruth Igoe, +1-773-843-2843, reigoe@gcfd.org , both of Greater Chicago Food
Depository