Food insecurity can strike anyone. A loss of a job, a serious illness, or a natural disaster can leave even the most prepared people wondering how they will feed themselves and their loved ones. For many, the Northern Illinois Food Bank is the answer. Our team spent a November evening packaging holiday food boxes filled with the essential groceries for a feast, plus treats including hot chocolate and brownie mix. The boxes will be supplemented by fresh produce and meat. In addition, we made a monetary donation. The food bank will distribute 50,000 of the special holiday packages to those struggling to put food on the table.
During our shift, we joined other volunteers at the Northern Illinois Food Bank's West Suburban Center in Geneva, Illinois. Assigned to the team filling and sealing the boxes, we set ourselves up on either side of the assembly line. At the beginning of the line, two of us built the boxes. At the other end, we sealed each completed box and stacked them for loading. In-between, people added staples including rice and pinto beans as well as holiday meal fixings such as stuffing mix, corn, and yams.
When it was all said and done, we packed 468 boxes, which will provide 5,382 meals as families come together at their tables. Filling nearly five pallets, the boxes weighed in at 6,458 pounds of food. Lively music and cheerful conversation helped the time pass quickly. It's amazing what can be accomplished in two short hours.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Sister Rosemarie Burian founded it in 1983 with a vision to bring people together to solve the hunger crisis. Today, Sister Rosemarie's vision carries on. The food bank works with more than 900 food pantries, soup kitchens, and feeding programs in Northern Illinois, providing 78 million meals a year to those facing food insecurity.
While we had fun, we did not lose sight of the greater mission. Northern Illinois Food Bank provides 250,000 meals a day in 13 counties in Northern Illinois. That kind of outreach is not possible without volunteers—1,000 of them every week at the food bank. We were honored to play our role, and it felt good to come together as a team to do good for the community.
Our goal for one night was to serve others, but we got something out of it too. We left full of gratitude and appreciation and a renewed dedication to our collective mission to help the helpless, contribute to the greater good, and make the world a better, more equitable place.
'Fuge will continue to give huge in the months to come. We can't wait to see how we can make an even greater impact on the lives of our neighbors.
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