HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI
OF ILLINOIS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2006

Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a non-profit organization that provides food to a half-million adults and children every year. The Food Depository accomplishes this massive undertaking with a network of almost 600 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters in the Chicago area. Last year, the Food Depository distributed more than forty million pounds of nonperishable food, fresh produce, dairy products, and meat--the equivalent of more than 84,000 meals every day.

Recently, the WGN Radio Neediest Kids Fund awarded a $60,000 grant to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, supporting two of its unique programs: the Kids Cafe and Nourish for Knowledge. These programs specifically focus on providing sustenance for the neediest children.

The Food Depository administers nearly forty Kids Cafés in Cook County, serving over 1800 meals per day through this program. Kids Café is a place where underprivileged children can enjoy a warm meal, exercise, and receive tutoring/other educational services. The Food Depository also sponsors Nourish for Knowledge, a program that provides take-home bags of food on weekends to schoolchildren in low-income neighborhoods. Together, the Chicago Food Depository and the Chicago Public Schools offer bags of food and after school programming for students and their parents in sixteen community schools. Both Kids Café and Nourish for Knowledge act to mitigate the negative effects of hunger for young people.

Today, I am honored to recognize the Greater Chicago Food Depository, their sponsors and partners, and all those making their work possible. The Food Depository's ongoing and innovative efforts to fight hunger serve as an inspiration to our community. In a world where hunger plagues many people, organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository make life-saving differences