Go Orange Day on Sept. 4 kicks off Hunger Action Month

On Thursday, September 4, Northern Illinois Food Bank and more than 200 Food Banks from across the country are asking businesses and the public to “Go Orange” in order to generate awareness around the issue of hunger in our community.

Each year, hungry neighbors in Northern Illinois Food Bank’s 13-county service area are at risk of skipping 70 million meals simply because they do not have enough food for three meals each day. Last year, Northern Illinois Food Bank provided the equivalent of 50 million meals to neighbors in need. The nonprofit recently launched a strategic plan with a goal of meeting that “meal gap” by increasing its food distribution to 75 million meals annually by 2020.

Go Orange Day kicks off Hunger Action Month, which encourages the public to volunteer, donate and get involved in solving hunger in their own communities. On Thursday, Sept. 4, the public is encouraged to wear orange, start a conversation about hunger with a colleague, change social media profile photos to orange, or volunteer at one of Northern Illinois Food Bank’s three centers. Companies can also get involved by encouraging a food or fund drive for the Food Bank or a local food pantry, holding a group volunteer session at the Food Bank, or lighting their buildings orange. All are encouraged to post thoughts about the issues of hunger in our community and photos of themselves wearing orange on Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Facebook page and tweet to @ILFoodBank using hashtag #HungerAction.

Additionally, during September the following activities are planned to bring awareness to Hunger Action Month:

· City of Naperville food drive (Sept. 2- 19) and Downtown Naperville Alliance food drive (Sept. 4- 26). Drop off nonperishable food donations at City Hall and downtown businesses. Additionally watch for the Millennium Carillon Bell Tower and Dandelion Fountain to change to orange in September.

· Public libraries in Batavia (Sept. 4), Bloomingdale (Sept. 2 -26), Crest Hill (Sept. 2 -26), Lockport (Sept. 2-26), Montgomery (Sept. 2-Oct. 31), Oswego (Sept. 2 –Oct.31), Plainfield (Sept. 2-30), Romeoville (Sept. 2- 26) and Wheaton (Sept. 8 -12) will host food drives in September.

· The villages of Bloomingdale, Downers Grove, Lisle, Plainfield and Roselle, and the Bloomingdale Park District, Fire Department and Public Works Department will host food drives for nonperishable foods throughout September. The City of West Chicago will host a food drive Sept. 2-12.

· Great America in Gurnee will host a Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 6 and 7. Donors receive $20 off their admission fee that day.

Northern Illinois Food Bank provides food to more than 71,000 people each week through a network of 800 local food pantries and feeding programs across 13 counties. A recent Feeding America Hunger Study indicates that while 77 percent of households using Northern Illinois Food Bank food pantries or feeding programs have at least one family member employed, our hungry neighbors are still faced with difficult choices when it comes to feeding their families. More than three-quarters of those surveyed said they had to choose between paying their utility bills or buying food in the past 12 months; 62 percent said they had to choose between paying for food or medicine.

For every $1 donated, Northern Illinois Food Bank provides $8 in groceries to hungry neighbors.

For a list of all of Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Hunger Action Month activities, information on volunteering or to donate, log onto www.SolveHungerToday.org.