“Go Orange” Thursday, Sept. 5 to Show Support for Hunger Awareness

On Thursday, Sept. 5, Northern Illinois Food Bank and 200 Feeding America food banks across the country ask the public to “Go Orange” to generate awareness of the issue of hunger in our community. Go Orange Day officially kicks off a month of activities Northern Illinois Food Bank has designed to raise the profile of hunger in northern Illinois. According to a recent Brookings Institute study, the number of people living in poverty in suburbs across the United States has grown 64 percent since 2001; 425,000 people in the 13-county area served by Northern Illinois Food Bank face hunger.  The food bank provides food to more than 60,000 people each week through a network of 800 local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and youth and senior feeding programs. 

How can you get involved?

· Wear an orange tie or shirt to work on Sept. 5, National Go Orange Day,  to spark a conversation about hunger;

· Dine at one of the 35 restaurants participating in Dine Out For Hunger, including Oberweis Dairy and Panera, Sept. 5 -13, where 10 percent of customers’ bills will be donated to the food bank when they present a Dine Out For Hunger postcard. Find participating restaurants and download the postcard at www.SolveHungerToday.org/HAM);

· Learn about hunger in northern Illinois at www.SolveHungerToday.org ;

· Start a fundraiser to support the food bank’s efforts in feeding more than 60,000 people each week;

· Take a ride on Great America’s American Eagle, which will be lit up orange in honor of Hunger Action Month. Save $25 on admission Sept. 7 and 8 by donating six nonperishable food items or $10 to Northern Illinois Food Bank. For information, visit http://www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica/events/FoodDrive.aspx.

· Enjoy a relaxing Moroccan Ritual Body Treatment with Orange Peel Body Buff at Eaglewood Resort and Spa in Itasca, and Eaglewood will donate 10 percent to the food bank. 

· Download a Hunger Action Month poster at www.SolveHungerToday.org and ask your business to post it or a message on its marquee;

· Enter a bowling team in our Young Professionals Board’s Strike Out Hunger event Sept. 25 at Tivoli Lanes in Downers Grove;

· Volunteer at Northern Illinois Food Bank, repacking food for distribution to local food pantries and other feeding programs; and

· Talk with friends about the fact that many of our neighbors do not have enough to eat.

These are just a few ways that you can get involved in spreading the word about hunger and the work that Northern Illinois Food Bank and its network partners are doing to feed our hungry neighbors.

For a complete list of Hunger Action Month events, visit www.SolveHungerToday.org.