No one should ever be hungry, and by coming together, we can work to ensure that no one is. The Mayor's Hunger Campaign is working to help those in need in Rockford through your support of the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition.
The Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition (GRPC) is a collaborative team of nine local Rockford food pantries**. By joining forces, we share ideas, resources, and a mission to ensure that no one in our community goes without food or basic necessities. Together, we fight hunger in our 815 by providing nutritious emergency food, compassion, and respect to any and all community members in need.
Funds raised during the annual Mayor's Hunger Campaign are distributed equally among the participating partners of the GRPC. 95% of these funds are used to acquire food with the remainder used for infrastructure needed for services, such as refrigeration, storage, and carrying bags for guests. The 2024 campaign will launch May 14, 2024, and conclude with a celebration luncheon in the fall.
This year, The Mayor's Hunger Campaign is partnering with the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois (CFNIL) to collect and process donations. CFNIL is a registered 501c3; your donation supporting the MHC is fully tax deductible.
Please consider a gift of $24 (or more!) in support of the 2024 campaign!
About the Mayor's Hunger Campaign:
After a decade’s absence, the Mayor’s Hunger Luncheon was revived by Mayor Tom McNamara and a dedicated committee of volunteers in 2018. That year, the event attracted more than 320 attendees and raised $10,000 to benefit Roots & Wings, a youth leadership and urban agriculture program led by Angelic Organics Learning Center.
In 2019, the committee decided to focus on the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition to raise awareness of hunger issues in the region. The COVID-19 pandemic hit as plans were being made for the 2020 luncheon. As a result, “Soups On,” a virtual event was held from May through September 2020, raising more than $87,000. Because of continuing pandemic issues, social media was used to raise funds in 2021. As planning for 2022 began, the committee decided to change its focus from an annual event to an ongoing effort to raise awareness about the hunger issues in our community and renamed the effort the Mayor’s Hunger Campaign. The 2022 and 2023 efforts used social media to bring attention to the campaign. The 2023 Mayor’s Hunger Campaign concluded with a celebration breakfast held in September. That campaign resulted in over $50,000 raised.