2015 by the numbers

40 47 meal packaging projects

event hosts funded oneor more of

engaging

4,610 volunteers in over

7,873completing 555,343

meals

33,480pounds of rice

donated toagencies

food-insecure people in ILLINOISserving

and

combined hours of service

12

Our Model

2

Newideasoftencomewiththeirownsetofvocabulary. IlliniFightingHunger isoneofthoseideas.Themodelwe’vecreatedforourorganizationisuniqueinmanyways,evenamongstthehundredsofmeal-packagingorganizationsaroundthecountry.First, IlliniFightingHunger is steeredbyaBoardofDirectors;agroupofUniversityof Illinoisgraduate studentsandacademicprofessionalsaswell as investedcommunitymembers fromtheChampaign-Urbanaarea.However,therealwork–andmuchofthecredit–belongstoourLeadership Team, all of whom are undergraduate students. These student leaders areresponsiblefortheeverydayorganization,coordinationandcommunicationthatresultinfoodbeingpackagedforpeopleincommunitiesacrossIllinois.Illini Fighting Hunger’s primary purpose is to facilitate food-packaging events. Currently, weclassifytheseeventsintotwotypes:meal-packagingeventsandsingle-ingredientevents.Ourmeal-packagingeventsproduceaFast&HeartyFamilyRiceCasserole,andoursingle-ingredientevents produce 1.75-lb packages of long-grainwhite rice and 1.5-lb packages of dried pintobeans for the Wesley Evening Food Pantry and, on occasion, other food relief agencies inChampaignCounty.But,thisisnotallthatIlliniFightingHungerisequippedtodo;wehavealsore-packagedbulkmacaronipastaandgranolatoprovideforexpressedneedsinthecommunity.When it comes to creating events, Illini Fighting Hunger is merely a facilitator in the food-packagingprocess.Our studentsarenot responsible for raising the funds thatpurchase foodandconsumablesforpackagingevents.Instead,thesefundscomefromourEventHosts–theorganizations thatprovidethedollarsand, inmostcases, thevolunteers for theevent.EventHostsalsochoosethe locationandtimingoftheirpackagingeventaswellastherecipientofthefinalproductas longas it isanagencyapprovedbyIlliniFightingHunger. Inthisway,ourorganizationcouplesstudentvolunteerismwithcommunitycollaborationtopackagemealsforfood-insecurepeopleinIllinois.

Our Identity

3

RegisteredStudentOrganization

University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignIllini Fighting Hunger was initiallyfoundedasastudentorganization.This allowsus toaccess resourcesthat are available only to studentorganizations, including fundingand facilities on campus, andserves as a platform for buildingourstudentLeadershipTeam.OurstandingasaRegisteredStudentOrganizationhasplayedacriticalroleinthepartnershipwehavebuiltwiththeUniversityof Illinois’4-HExtensionFeedingandGrowingCommunitiesprogram. This program has allowed us to engage middle school and high school youth ineducationandservicearoundhungerandfoodinsecurity.

TheWesleyUnitedMethodistChurchandStudentFoundation

Followingtheprecedentsetbyseveralotherstudentgroupsandcommunity organizations, Illini Fighting Hunger became aprogram of theWesley Foundation at theUniversity of Illinoisshortly after being established as a campus studentorganization. Thishasenabled Illini FightingHunger tooperateasanon-profitprogramoftheFoundation.TheWesleybuildingisourhomeandisthesiteformanyofourprojects.Wesley is also thehomeof theWesley Evening FoodPantry,oneof theprimary recipientsof foodpackagedby IlliniFightingHungerprojects.

many thanks to our incredible Event Hosts!

4

January

v UniversityYMCA

2,350lbs.ofwhiterice

v ParklandPantry1,800lbs.ofwhiterice

v UrbanaRotaryClub 2,400lbs.ofwhiterice

v UniversityHighSchool100lbs.ofwhiterice

February

v UniversityHighSchool100lbs.ofwhiterice

v WesleyEveningFoodPantry

750lbs.ofpintobeans

v GirlScoutsofChampaign

300lbs.ofwhiterice

v IroquoisWestHighSchool

10,410FamilyRiceCasseroles

v EmptyTombFoodPantry

1,950lbs.ofwhiterice

v MonticelloFightingHunger

105,840FamilyRiceCasseroles

March

v 4-HJuniorLeadershipConference

10,687FamilyRiceCasseroles

v UnitedMethodistChurch

andChurchofSt.Jude10,872FamilyRiceCasseroles

v SinaiTemple

2,050lbs.ofwhiterice950lbs.ofpintobeans

v IlliniHillel500lbs.ofwhiterice

April

v RockIsland4-H24,444FamilyRiceCasseroles

v UniversityHighSchool100lbs.ofpintobeans

v UIUCDayofService160,266FamilyRiceCasseroles

many thanks to our incredible Event Hosts!

5

May

v LeeCounty4-H10,764FamilyRiceCasseroles

v UniversityHighSchool500lbs.ofwhiterice500lbs.ofpintobeans

June

v CUScholarsatParklandPantry750lbs.ofwhiterice750lbs.ofpintobeans

v Decatur1st700lbs.ofwhiterice250lbs.ofpintobeans

v GreatRiversUMCConference

1,350lbs.ofwhiterice

July

v FirstChristianChurch,Herrin10,896FamilyRiceCasseroles

v WesleyEveningFoodPantry

1,050lbs.ofpintobeans

v BethelLutheranChurch5,400FamilyRiceCasseroles

August

v CunninghamChildren’sHome

350lbs.ofwhiterice

v IllinoisWesleyanUniversity

1,550lbs.ofwhiterice

v UIUCServiceFirst10,800FamilyRiceCasseroles

v EasternIllinoisUniversity23,760FamilyRiceCasseroles

v SouthernIllinoisUniversity-Carbondale

500lbs.ofwhiterice

v BenedictineUniversity58,104FamilyRiceCasseroles

many thanks to our incredible Event Hosts!

6

September

v InterfaithinAction680lbs.ofwhiterice

v ChurchofJesusChristofLatterDaySaints,Urbana

550lbs.ofpintobeans

v RockIsland4-H15,000FamilyRiceCasseroles

v FirstPresbyterianChurchofUrbana

1,500lbs.ofwhiterice

October

v Unit274-H75,000FamilyRiceCasseroles

v SaltForkRegionalGroupofthePresbytery

1,000lbs.ofwhiterice250lbs.ofpintobeans

v PanhellenicCouncil,UIUC5,650lbs.ofwhiterice250lbs.ofpintobeans

v UIUCSchoolofSocialWork&

theWesleyFoodPantry

2,450lbs.ofwhiterice

November

v CalvaryUnitedMethodist

Church

18,576FamilyRiceCasseroles

v UniversityHighSchool100lbs.ofpintobeans

v IllinoisWesleyanUniversity

3,024FamilyRiceCasseroles

v Springfield4-H1,900lbs.ofwhiterice400lbs.ofpintobeans

v AmeripriseFinancialofSavoy

&WesleyEveningFoodPantry

1,300lbs.ofpintobeans

December

v Illinois4-HYouthDevelopmentEducators

1,500FamilyRiceCasseroles

v UniversityHighSchool200lbs.ofpintobeans

v AlphaPhiOmega,

AlphaAlphaChapter

2,000lbs.ofwhiterice

Agencies Served

7

EasternIllinoisFoodbank

2405NorthShoreDriveUrbana,IL61802-7221

(217)328-3663

WesleyEveningFoodPantry

1203W.GreenStreetUrbana,IL61801(217)344-1120

WestSuburbanCommunity

Pantry

6809HobsonValleyDriveWoodridge,IL60517

(630)512-9921

MidwestFoodbank1703S.VeteransPkwyBloomington,IL61701

(309)663-5350

God’sLittleFoodPantry425WNorthStreetWatseka,IL60970(815)432-1182

DixonCommunityFood

Pantry

2001W4thStreetDixon,IL61021(815)288-4848

N.I.C.E.Pantry

346S.CountyLineRoadLee,Illinois60530(815)824-2228

St.Patrick’sFoodPantry

710W.MarionStreetJoliet,IL60436

Loaves&Fish

116NEPerryAvenuePeoria,IL61603

WesleyFoodPantryat

Parkland

2400WestBradleyAveChampaign,IL61821

RiverBendFoodbank

4010KimmelDriveDavenport,IA52802

(563)345-6490

NorthernIllinoisFoodbank

273DearbornCourt,Geneva,IL60134630.443.6910

Finances

8

*Illinois 4-Hplaces anemphasis on the importanceof youngpeoplebeingengaged,well-informed citizens. Illinois 4-HCurriculum focusonthreeprimarymandates: science, engineering, and technology; healthy living; and citizenship. Illini FightingHungerwould like to thank theUniversityofIllinoisExtensionfortheirgenerouscontributiontotheeducationofIllinois’youthandtheirimpactinthefightagainsthunger.‡OtherEventFundsrepresentfundsprovidedbyhostorganizationsotherthantheUniversityofIllinois4-HExtensionProgramtocovercostsofeventmaterialsincludingrawingredients,consummables,andequipmentwearandtear.

Meal

Packaging:

$65,764.66

79%

RicePackaging:

$10,671.87

13%

Bean

Packaging:

$5,141.83

6%

Equipment:

$1,946.39

2%

EXPENSES

Other

EventFunds‡

$61,830.75

68%

Illinois4-H

EventFunds*:

$25,321.50

28%

Donaeons

$4,224.87

4%

INCOME

Understanding Our Finances

9

Our experience has shown that other meal-packaging organizations around the country plantheir finances around an operating cost between$0.25 and $0.30 per meal. However, many ofthese organizations pay rent on their facilities orhirefull-timeorpart-timeemployees.llliniFightingHungerisuniquelypositionedonthecampus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Wearerunentirelybystudentvolunteersand,asaprogramoftheWesleyFoundation,weareabletostoreourequipmentinasecurefacilityatzerocost.One major difference between Illini Fighting Hunger and our peer packagingorganizations is that many other organizations are shipping meals overseas, whichincreases operating costs. While we worked with local organizations to facilitate aninternationaldistributiontoNepal,India,afteradevastating7.8magnitudeearthquakeinthefirsthalfof2015,IlliniFightingHungerwasfoundedinresponsetotherealizationthat many resources available to us on campus and in the Champaign-Urbanacommunitycouldenableustoproducemealsforourlocalcommunityatlowercost.

The per-meal cost estimation is a useful toolfor understanding the innovation offered tomeal-packaging by our university campus-community.Our2015mealpackagingexpensestotalled$65,764.66.Forthe555,343mealswepackaged, this is a per-meal cost of $0.12 –that’s48%lessthanthelowestcostquotedbyourpeers!

The bottom line is that lower packaging costs mean more meals for food-insecurepeopleinourcommunity.Andultimately,thatiswhatIlliniFightingHungerisallabout.

Milestones & Awards

10

2015wasanextraordinaryyearofgrowthanddevelopment for Illini FightingHunger.WithourstudentLeadershipTeamgrowingtoover30activemembersandthenumberofeventswefacilitatedhaving increasedfrom2014,weareverygladtoseeour foodpackagingmodelcontinuetothriveasiteducatesandengagespeopleofallagesinthefightagainsthunger.Oneofourgreatestachievementsoftheyearcameintheformofpackagingourone-millionthmealonFebruary28th,2015,inpartnershipwiththeincrediblevolunteersofMonticelloFightingHunger!ThisaccomplishmentwasmarkedbyourMillionthMealCelebrationandwas the culminationof justover3 yearsofoperation. Today,weareveryhappytoreportthatinjustoverayearwehavealmostdoubledourtotalnumberofmealspackaged,aswesitat1.87millionmeals.Because of the great strides we have taken in organizational development and thesuccesseswehaveachieved,IlliniFightingHungerhadthehonorofbeingrecognizedforitsworkbyanumberoforganizationsthrougout2015.Wewerefirstselectedasthe2015CommunityImpactMilestoneAwardwinnerbytheIlliniUnionOfficeofVolunteerProgramsforthepackagingofourone-millionthmeal.InAugust, we learned that we had been named the 2015 Eastern Illinois FoodbankCommunityPartneroftheYear,and,nottoomuchlongerafterword,wewereinformedthat IFH would be presented with the Association of Fundraising Professionals’OutstandingVolunteerYouthFundraiserawardinaceremonyatthestartof2016.Itistrulywonderfultoseetheimpactwehaveonthelivesofthoseinneed,andwearesogratefultoberecognizedbyourpeersforittoo.

- how you can help -

11

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