When Thomas McNamara became Rockford's Mayor in 2017, he immediately began working on reviving and rebranding the Mayor's Hunger Luncheon which began in the 1980s when his father, John McNamara, was Mayor. He knows, as his father did, that as a community we could never meet our full potential if we didn't live up to basic core values and ensure no child or family goes hungry. The Mayor and our community have done great work together raising well over $100,000 to support our nine local food pantries in the last two years. The original hunger luncheon has also been rebranded from a single event to a longer sustained effort called the Mayor's Hunger Campaign. Today, in Rockford, one in five residents struggles to put nutritious food on the table. Client visits at our largest pantry, Rock River Valley Pantry, are up 82%! Early in the pandemic, families in Illinois received emergency SNAP allotments on top of their typical benefits. In March of 2022, benefits have returned to their pre-pandemic levels, while simultaneously grocery prices, gasoline and rents rise faster than in decades. We need your help. Each week, our campaign will highlight one of the nine local pantries in the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition. Where your donation stays right here in our Rockford, Illinois community. Please donate today at https://cfnil.org/mhl to support our nine local Rockford food pantries in the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition.
