Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Mayor’s Hunger Campaign, an annual effort to raise money for nine local food pantries of the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition, surpassed this year’s goal of raising $45,000.

The campaign raised $49,510.53, which doesn’t include thousands of dollars of in-kind donations, according to Wally Haas, executive director of Transform Rockford and a member of the Mayor’s Hunger Campaign.

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Each of the nine pantries in the coalition were given equal shares of the funds raised. The coalition comprises Rock River Valley Pantry, Christian Union Pantry, Unity in the Community/Lighthouse Pantry, St. Elizabeth Center, Cornucopia Pantry, Salvation Army, Emmanuel Lutheran, God’s Glory Pantry and Soul’s Harbor Pantry.

Organizers of the Mayor’s Hunger Campaign say local pantries continue to see a high level of need for food, and some pantries are experiencing shortages in staples such as bread.

The Mayor’s Hunger Luncheon was founded in the 1980s by former Mayor John McNamara, the father of Mayor Tom McNamara. Tom McNamara revitalized the event in 2018 after a 10-year hiatus into what is now the hunger campaign.

The fundraising initiative culminated in a breakfast fundraiser this fall at Indoor Rockford City Market.

How to help

Go to greaterrockfordpantrycoalition.com, click on donate.  Or mail a check to: Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition (GRPC), PO Box 17051, Rockford , IL 61110.