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Woodforest Charitable Foundation Donates $5,000 to Northern Illinois Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank Receives $5,000 Donation

Photo Caption:Woodforest branch managers from across the state joined Kim Marling, Executive Director of Woodforest Charitable Foundation; Matt Szejda, Corporate and Community Giving Manager of Northern Illinois Food Bank; Hester Bury, Grants Manager of Northern Illinois Food Bank; and Boyd Nelson, Illinois/Indiana Regional Executive Vice President of Woodforest National Bank

St. Charles, IL (October, 2009) - Woodforest Charitable Foundation recently made a generous donation of $5,000 to Northern Illinois Food Bank.  This contribution will support the Kids BackPack program.

In 2008, Northern Illinois Food Bank launched a pilot BackPack program in three counties and served 150 children.  The BackPack Program targets elementary school children in areas where there are high percentages of eligibility and children at risk of chronic hunger.  Each child receives a weekly backpack filled with child-friendly, easy to prepare, non-perishable food on Fridays to take home for the weekend. 

It is well documented that the ability to learn, participate in physical activities and behave appropriately in structured environments is directly affected by a child’s nutritional well-being. Feedback from participating school personnel and parents indicate that the children benefit from the healthy nutritious food they receive for the weekend by being more physically active and paying better attention in school.   With the help of corporate and foundation support, Northern Illinois Food Bank expanded this program to serve 1,042 low-income children weekly.  A total of 22,458 food-filled backpacks were distributed.  “Your generous donation of $5,000 will help us provide weekly backpacks filled with nutritious food to children at risk of hunger on the weekends,” said H. Dennis Smith, Executive Director & C.E.O. of Northern Illinois Food Bank.  “Thank you again for your support of our efforts to feed our hungry neighbors.”

Founded in 1983, Northern Illinois Food Bank is the link between the national food manufacturers and local agencies that serve the hungry directly.  Northern Illinois Food Bank acquires, gathers, handles, and distributes food to hungry people through a network of over 520 agency partners.

For more information about Northern Illinois Food Bank, please call (630) 443-6910, e-mail hunger@northernilfoodbank.org, or visit the Food Bank’s website at www.northernilfoodbank.org.

The Woodforest Charitable Foundation was created by Woodforest National Bank in 2005 as a direct result of its desire to support and invest in the communities in which it serves.  The Foundation is creating a legacy of commitment to those in need, enriching lives and communities through dedicated leadership and faithful administration by providing funding to qualifying 501(c)(3) charities. For additional information regarding The Woodforest Charitable Foundation, call (832) 375-CARE (2273) or visit the foundation’s website at www.woodforestcharitablefoundation.org.

Celebrating 30 years of service and ranked among the top earning banks in the United States, the Woodforest family of banks currently has assets of approximately $3.2 billion and services more than 770,000 customers with branches in excess of 700 throughout fifteen states: Texas, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. For information about Woodforest National Bank, please call 832-375-2000 or visit the bank’s website at www.woodforest.com.