November 23, 2011

Mayor Emanuel Encourages Chicagoans to Give Back to Their Communities During the Holiday Season

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

This morning Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined volunteers from the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) in encouraging Chicagoans to give back to their communities and support those in need during Thanksgiving and the upcoming winter months with the One City, One Food Drive.

“Let’s express our gratitude not only in words but in action,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Chicago is not just a collection of neighborhoods, we are one city, and in difficult times, with the combined generosity of the people of this city, we can give some hope and support to those who need it most.”

The City of Chicago has partnered with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, to launch One City, One Food Drive, which encourages people across Chicago to donate nonperishable food for those in need. The drive will run from November 21 through December 16, and One City, One Food Drive barrels will be located at over 150 locations throughout the city.  Locations include City of Chicago fire stations, libraries and police stations, InterPark parking garages, and downtown buildings that are members of BOMA Chicago.

"We are so grateful for the city's involvement in One City, One Food Drive," said Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. "If everyone in Chicago donates one can of food, we can end hunger in our community."

This year, One City, One Food Drive has a goal of collecting one million pounds of food for distribution, a goal that will almost double the total amount of food collected in the same time period last year. GCFD estimates that one in six Cook County residents is food insecure, or uncertain of where their next meal will come from. 678,000 Chicagoans are served every year by GCFD.

The food drive will be featured across the city in coming weeks as part of a pro bono ad campaign by Young & Rubicam. "Do It for Chicago" encourages Chicagoans to give one dollar, one can of food or one hour of time to hunger-relief programs. For more information, and a complete list of food drive locations, visit www.chicagosfoodbank.org.

The City’s partnership is part of the City’s ongoing campaign to promote volunteerism and furthering civic engagement by residents through One Good Deed Chicago. It includes the volunteer-matching site OneGoodDeedChicago.org, where hundreds of nonprofits post skills-based, one-time and ongoing volunteer opportunities.  Cities of Service awarded Chicago and nine other cities Leadership Grants in January 2010. Chicago’s plan focuses on making volunteerism more accessible and impactful by better aligning residents with existing nonprofits, building non-profit capacity to more effectively use volunteers and nurturing the culture of service and philanthropy in the City of Chicago. For more information, visit www.onegooddeedchicago.org.

 

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