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Woodforest Charitable Foundation donates $7,000 to Northern Illinois Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank Receives $7,000 Donation

Photo Caption:Woodforest Branch Managers from across the state joined Kim Marling, Executive Director/Vice President of Woodforest Charitable Foundation; Dr. David Gottlieb, Woodforest Charitable Foundation; Matthew Szejda, Northern Illinois Food Bank; and Boyd Nelson, Illinois Regional Vice President.

ST. CHARLES, IL – Woodforest Charitable Foundation recently made a generous donation of $7,000 to Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB).  This contribution will support the SuperSnack and BackPack Programs.

The correlation between poverty and hunger is indisputable - the lower a family’s income, the less money available for food.  Similar correlations exist between the impact of a child’s nutritional well-being and the ability to learn, participate in physical activities, and behave appropriately in structured environments.  Research indicates that even mild under-nutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth may lead to reduction in physical growth and affect brain development.  In Northern Illinois Food Bank’s service area, 107,710 children live in poverty and more than 250,000 children are at-risk of hunger. 

For many struggling families, providing balanced nutrition in the after school hours is difficult.  Fortunately, numerous children participate in after school enrichment programs located in low-income areas providing the Food Bank with an opportunity to supplement recreational and educational programming with good food and nutritional education.  In the last year, NIFB sponsored 108 after school sites in 11 different counties, delivering nearly 500,000 nutritious snacks and meals to an average of 4,100 children per day.

The Food Bank also fights childhood hunger through its BackPack Program.  The BackPack Program - a national program of Feeding America, is designed to provide food to chronically hungry children on weekends or school vacations when access to school meal programs is not available.  Since initiating the program in January 2008, NIFB has partnered with 32 schools to provide over 54,000 backpacks, each containing shelf-stable and children-friendly meal components for the weekend for a family of three.  “We truly appreciate the Foundation’s continuing support since 2009 and your partnership as we respond to hunger in northern Illinois,” said H. Dennis Smith, President & CEO of Northern Illinois Food Bank.  “This generous donation will help provide valuable support for our Child Nutrition Programs.”

For more information about Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Child Nutrition Programs, please call (630) 443-6910, e-mail hunger@northernilfoodbank.org, or visit 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 850,000 customers with branches in excess of 750 throughout seventeen states:  Texas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, 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.