River Bend Food Bank’s annual Women Fighting Hunger event returns for its fifth year on Thursday, March 27, at the Rhythm City Casino Resort in north Davenport.
Nora McInerny, the creator and host of the podcasts “Terrible, Thanks for Asking” and “It’s Going to Be OK,” will be the evening’s keynote speaker.
The dinner fundraiser will be from 5-8 p.m. The event is sold out, but donations still can be made in advance here for the food bank’s Women Fighting Hunger campaign.
Since its inception, Women Fighting Hunger has raised more than 1.4 million meals and has set a goal of contributing another 500,000 meals.
The fundraiser typically brings together more than 500 people to help River Bend address food insecurity in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas.
“This event is truly special because it serves as a reminder of the enormous impact we can have when we come together with a clear goal around a specific cause,” River Bend Food Bank Vice President Jenny Colvin said in a Women Fighting Hunger news release. “In the course of just a few hours, we are able to be sure kids in our community know where their next meal is coming from and that is something that deserves to be celebrated.”
Proceeds from the event will help fund the food bank’s School Pantry Purchase program. That program allows school food pantries to stock their shelves with a variety of nutritious foods. It serves 74 school pantries who collectively help feed 2,200 children every month.
1 in 6 kids food insecure
Chris Ford, the food bank’s CEO, said “I can’t think of a better place to put our dollars than toward feeding our children. Access to nutritious food is something that children should be able to expect, yet one in six children in our local communities face food insecurity every single day. This event works directly to do something about that and we are so grateful for the people who come out to help us stock these shelves.”
Ms. McInerny, the guest keynote, is also known for her viral TED talk “We Don’t Move On From Grief, We Move Forward With it.” She specializes in making space for emotional honesty and difficult conversations, the release said.
From her bestselling memoirs and essay collections to her pieces in The New York Times, Time magazine, and The Washington Post, Ms. McInerny’s work regularly touches topics many would rather not discuss. That includes death, loss, illness, mental health, trauma, and change – with disarming wit and earnest candor.
In addition to the keynote and dinner, Women Fighting Hunger will include a silent auction and raffle.
