‘War against hunger’ – Deere campaign raises $1.6M for meals

People who are struggling and in need of food are getting a helping hand through a partnership between River Bend Food Bank and John Deere Foundation. The two organizations have joined forces on a new campaign – called “Plowing a New Path to End Hunger” – to combat hunger in the bistate region. That fund-matching […]

People who are struggling and in need of food are getting a helping hand through a partnership between River Bend Food Bank and John Deere Foundation. The two organizations have joined forces on a new campaign – called “Plowing a New Path to End Hunger” – to combat hunger in the bistate region. That fund-matching campaign has raised more than $1.6 million with the John Deere Foundation providing $650,000 in money to match community donations to support the food bank. The money raised in the campaign will allow River Bend to buy an additional 6.5 million meals to help close the meal gap in the region.

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“The war against hunger has not been won. … More needs to be done,” Laura Eberlin, global corporate social responsibility lead for John Deere, said Thursday night, Jan. 11, during a celebration to unveil the results of the campaign that began Nov. 1.  That invitation-only event, held at the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, brought together more than 50 people from the River Bend Food Bank, Deere & Co., the City of Moline and the business community to celebrate the results. The campaign’s goal was to raise $1.3 million so River Bend could buy additional food for people in need in the three-county area of Scott, Rock Island and Dubuque counties. One of the highlights of the celebration was the unveiling of the goal-breaking total of the campaign. Several members of the community held up cards to reveal the campaign’s total – $1,611,200. “This is a great celebration. … This will allow us to buy more food,” said Nancy Renkes, president and CEO of the River Bend Food Bank, during Thursday’s celebration. She added that the money raised will allow River Bend to try and keep up with the raising demand for food in the region. That demand has been growing as more people are faced with tough times brought on by inflation and other economic factors. Marie Ziegler, board chair for the River Bend Food Bank, said this is a “time of rising need” as more people face food insecurity.  Here’s a look at local data about food insecurity: more than 104,000 people in the region have experienced food insecurity; one in five children and one in 10 adults miss a meal, not by choice. Also, in 2020, food insecurity increased by 50% in the region, according to the River Bend Food Bank. Some of the other local food insecurity statistics released Thursday include:

• People facing food insecurity in the region include: 16,590 people in Rock Island County; 15,060 people in Scott County; and 7,700 people in Dubuque County.
• River Bend reported that the “meal gap” – or the number of meals missed by food insecure people – was more than 6.4 million meals in 2022 between Scott, Rock Island and Dubuque counties.
• The total meal gap budget shortfall in the three counties is more than $6.47 million.

During the campaign celebration, several officials pointed out that steps are being taken to battle that food shortage in the region. For instance, Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said the City of Moline is “walking the talk” by providing more money to help local food banks. The mayor added that recently Moline earmarked $300,000 in block grant money to help buy food for 10 local food banks. Also, Ms. Eberlin thanked the many people who attended the Thursday celebration and have helped with fundraising efforts to help River Bend. “Our community is better because you here tonight wanted to make it better,” she added. River Bend works with more than 400 hunger-relief partners in 23 counties to make sure people facing hunger have reliable access to healthy food. Leading the community-wide effort to eliminate hunger in eastern Iowa and western Illinois, the food bank distributes millions of meals each year to children, adults and seniors through partner agencies and food pantries in schools, senior residences and community organizations. The John Deere Foundation supports food and nutrition at every stage – from empowering farmers to partnering with local food banks – to ensure those in need have access to nutritious food. The foundation has committed $200 million over the next decade to create long-lasting, purposeful impact for the communities it serves and for the families who live and work in the community.