Farm Bureaus hit 1.5M meals mark with ‘Bushels for Hunger’

Farmers from across the Illinois Quad Cities region again helped local families struggling with food insecurity by donating to River Bend Food Bank through the Bushels for Hunger program.  Now in its 13th year, the Bushels for Hunger program is a joint program coordinated by the Illinois Farm Bureaus of Henry, Mercer and Rock Island […]

Farmers from across the Illinois Quad Cities region again helped local families struggling with food insecurity by donating to River Bend Food Bank through the Bushels for Hunger program.  Now in its 13th year, the Bushels for Hunger program is a joint program coordinated by the Illinois Farm Bureaus of Henry, Mercer and Rock Island counties.  The program, which allows farmers to donate bushels of grain, is held in conjunction with these grain elevators and ethanol plants across northwest Illinois: Atkinson Grain, Big River Resources, Cargill, CHS, Gavilon, Gold Star FS, Hillsdale Elevator, River Valley Cooperative and Rumbold & Kuhn. During a recent check presentation, the River Bend Food Bank received a $23,603 contribution from the farm bureaus – pushing the Bushels for Hunger donations to date over the $300,000 mark.   At a news conference at the food bank in west Davenport, Mercer County farmer and Illinois Farm Bureau District 3 Director Jeff Kirwan presented the $23,603 check – the equivalent of 118,016 meals – to Nancy Renkes, River Bend’s president and CEO. "Thanks to the generous donations of thousands of bushels of grain to the Bushels for Hunger campaign, local farmers worked together to fight hunger in the Quad Cities community with these funds," Mr. Kirwan said. The latest donation also brings the total amount of meals donated by area farmers to more than 1.5 million, the nonprofit said.    

“We are so grateful for every farmer who generously chose to donate this year,” Ms. Renkes said. “Springtime is a season of renewal and growth, and this support from our region’s farmers will help grow our food supplies to feed more children and adults facing hunger in the coming months. Thank you.” The annual donation comes just weeks ahead of River Bend’s Third annual Women Fighting Hunger conference, which is set for 5-8 p.m., Thursday, March 30, at Rhythm City Casino, Davenport.  The event will feature keynote speaker Liz Murray who will share her inspiring journey of determination, hope and hard-won success. The co-founder and executive director of The Arthur Project will discuss her road from homelessness to attending Harvard University and later launching the New York City program that works with underserved youth and to end generational poverty through relationship-based learning.  Tickets are $500 for a table of 10, $60 for an individual. For more information, contact Jenny Colvin, [email protected], or (563) 345-6490 ext. 2160. Register here.