Denisse Ike sponsors the non-profit organisation "Northern Illinois Food Bank", which distributes over 12,000 metric tons of food every year to people living under the poverty threshold in the suburbs of Chicago.
Sponsor's words
Denisse Ike
sponsor of non-profit organisation Northern Illinois Food Bank (United States)
What is your role in Veolia?
I am the Marketing & Communications Assistant Director for Veolia Environmental Services North America Corp., located in Chicago, IL.
Under what circumstances you discovered the project you are sponsoring today?
The organization called my office, looking for a corporate communications contact person and requested a donation. The opportunity to directly impact the communities in our area piqued my interest. We scheduled a meeting, followed by a tour of their facility in St. Charles, Illinois. It was then that we learned that Northern Illinois Food Bank is a non-profit organization that receives donated food and grocery products from retailers, manufacturers, corporations and community resources and distributes it through more than 520 food assistance sites to help the 262,565 people living in poverty in northern Illinois. The Northern Illinois Food Bank provides food assistance to 37,400 different people each week.
Could you give us concrete examples of your actions?
I have been working with the Northern Illinois Food Bank and Veolia Environmental Services North America to engage our employees in community outreach programs. We participate in Mobile Food Pantries and organize company volunteer participation to help feed the hungry in our area.
Why did you go into sponsoring?
It's a vehicle to reach out to the communities in our area and make a difference for thousands of families in need. It is also a very rewarding experience, to be able to help thousands of people and make a difference in their lives. In a nation that is so prosperous and wealthy it is hard to believe that nearly 35 million Americans are threatened by hunger, including 13 million children.
What are the initial results of this sponsoring action?
The VE Foundation's commitment will make food more accessible to hungry people in northern Illinois.
A versatile refrigerated cargo van will be purchased. This vehicle will strengthen the Northern Illinois Food Bank initiatives involving perishable food, youth nutrition, community food drives and volunteerism in northern Illinois.
