One in six children in Iowa and 1 in 5 children in Illinois face food insecurity. This issue and these statistics have motivated a Quad-City teen to join the fight against hunger.
"Many know that hunger is a big problem in other countries around the world, but few realize that people in our own communities go hungry every day," says Clare VanSpeybroeck, age 16. VanSpeybroeck, an active member of the 4-H Teen Hunger Ambassadors, held a food packaging event at which volunteers helped assemble over 15,000 meals. The event was held Sunday, September 27 at St. Pius X Farrell Hall, 2502 29th Avenue, Rock Island.
"The goals of my project are to provide nutritious meals to the hungry in the Quad Cities, educate youth and adults of the need in our area, and unite the community by working together to help others," says VanSpeybroeck. The non-perishable family-sized rice casserole meals will be distributed to the needy through the Riverbend Food Bank and the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry in Rock Island.
Clare says she has participated in three other 4-H meal packaging events in the past but is excited to take on the challenge of organizing an event herself. "I couldn't undertake this project without the support of the Rock Island County 4-H Extension Foundation and the co-sponsorship of my 4-H Teen Hunger Ambassador group. I am honored that the adult leaders of these groups have confidence in me to take on this leadership role," says VanSpeybroeck.
Clare organized all of the logistics of the event including publicity, recruiting volunteers, fundraising and ordering the food and supplies from Illini Fighting Hunger (IFH). IFH is a student organization at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana founded to address local and international hunger issues by making meal packaging events more frequent, more accessible, and more effective.
Clare's project is partially funded by a grant from Illinois 4-H Feeding and Growing Communities, the Rock Island Knights of Columbus, and private donations. She still has an additional $1,000 yet to raise to cover the costs of the food and supplies. If any funds over this amount are collected, the money will be used to sponsor additional meal packaging events or activities of the 4-H Teen Hunger Ambassadors.
If you would like to contribute to this charitable cause, a letter showing receipt of your tax-deductible donation will be mailed to you. Please make checks payable to: RICO 4-H Extension Foundation and mail to: University of Illinois Extension, Attn: Clare VanSpeybroeck, 321 W 2nd Avenue, Milan, IL 61264
The 4-H Teen Hunger Ambassadors welcome other teens ages 12 and older who are interested in helping combat hunger in the local community to get involved. For information on joining the group, contact Diane Baker, 4-H Youth Development Educator, bakerd@illinois.edu or (309) 756-9978.
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