River Bend Food Bank is feeding hungry Quad Citians with the help of a $25,000 grant from the Chicago Bears charitable arm and from a fund created in partnership with Amazon’s charitable giving program and regional food banks.
The local impact of the Bears Care award, first announced last month, was later doubled in the bi-state region thanks to generous matching donations to the Quad Cities Community Foundation’s River Bend Food Bank Hunger Relief Fund.
The $25,000 gift awarded through Bears Care was part of the $250,000 Amazon’s TNF For Good initiative awarded to both the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles. It was earmarked for food bank assistance and announced prior to two teams’ Nov. 28 matchup. The Bears later went on to secure a 24-15 win in that post-Thanksgiving NFL game.
“We are extremely thankful to Amazon for their generous donation, which has allowed us, together, to make a direct impact on food insecurity during this holiday season,” Bears Care Director Marge Hamm said in a River Bend news release. “Their contribution helped us provide greatly needed financial support to food banks throughout the state and reach our fans in need not just in Chicago, but all parts of Illinois.”
River Bend Food Bank President and CEO Chris Ford applauded the partner’s support for the 23-county regional food bank headquartered in west Davenport. “We’re grateful to Bears Care for the opportunity to deliver nourishing food to our neighbors who need it now,” Mr. Ford added.
In addition to the award to River Bend, Bears Care also distributed $25,000 donations to Central Illinois Food Bank, Eastern Illinois Food Bank, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Northern Illinois Food Bank, River Bend Food Bank, St. Louis Area Food Bank and Tri-State Food Bank.
Dollar-for-dollar
Locally, thanks to a dollar-for-dollar match from the Quad Cities Community Foundation River Bend Food Bank Hunger Relief Fund, the donation funded some 250,000 meals.
“Being able to double that $25,000 thanks to the generous support of our community shows a shared commitment to ending hunger for our community,” Mr. Ford said in the release. The QC Community Foundation first announced the new matching gift campaign on Wednesday, Nov. 19, to benefit area residents seeking food assistance at the food bank.
The foundation credited a surge of support thanks to the work of a coalition of philanthropic leaders whose early commitments set the effort in motion. They included the Marie H. Bechtel Charitable Trust, Doris and Victor Day Foundation, Reggie and Jeff Goldstein, Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, Modern Woodmen of America, Kent and Judi Pilcher, Quad Cities Community Foundation, Regional Development Authority, and Russell Group Inc.
Every dollar Quad Citians donated was matched dollar-for-dollar by the hunger relief fund until the $250,000 match was met. Hitting that target doesn’t mean the job is done. The QC Community Foundation said the need to address hunger relief remains urgent.
Quad Citians can help meet it by contributing to the River Bend Food Bank Hunger Relief Fund here. Every $1 collected provides five meals, and every donation goes directly to support hunger relief across River Bend Food Bank’s service region.
Read more about the Bears Care donation at Bears give back ahead of Thanksgiving, Black Friday game in partnership with Amazon.
Since its start in 2005, Bears Care has distributed more than $31.5 million dollars to 200+ community organizations assisting those in need in the Chicagoland area.
