Lisa Bluder Download
The sold-out sixth annual Women Fighting Hunger fundraising event for River Bend Food Bank will feature Hall of Fame coach Lisa Bluder. Nearly 600 people will gather at Rhythm City Casino, Davenport, for the March 26 event focused on raising funds to build hunger-free schools in eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
This year’s Women Fighting Hunger program will include a conversation with Bluder moderated by emcee Monta Ponsetto, the executive director of the Rock Island-Milan Education Foundation, and an update on the impact of SNAP cuts from River Bend Vice President Jenny Colvin. The event is presented in partnership with speaker sponsors UnityPoint Health – Trinity and an anonymous donor.
“We’re thrilled to have Lisa share her voice and her support for hunger relief,” said Colvin. “We’re also proud to partner with Monta and event speaker Kathy Lelonek, Rocky Resource Room coordinator, to shine a light on the great work our school partners do every day to ensure children and families do not go hungry.”
River Bend partners with 130+ school sites in its 23-county service area to provide school-based nutrition programs. This includes a mix of backpacks, providing food to children over the weekend, and school pantries, which can provide up to 54 pounds of food per month to children and their families.
Last fall, River Bend announced a strategic move focused on transitioning backpack programs to school pantries. That transition continues in phases with the support and guidance of River Bend’s five-member Partnership Team.
School counselor Alan Dassow at the school pantry at Ridgewood Elementary in East Moline. Download
“The school pantry model stretches our resources furthest and helps us nourish both children and families,” Colvin said. “We’re working with our school counselors and other partners to set up school pantries that can offer fresh produce, proteins, snacks and other foods kids and families need to thrive.”
School counselor Alan Dassow is one of those school partners who has worked with River Bend to connect kids with food for 18 years during his time with the East Moline School District. He now operates a 5′ by 5′ school pantry at Ridgewood Elementary, serving over 400 students and families.
“Food is something that really means a lot to the kids here,” Dassow said. “It is a motivator to help get them through the day.”
The Ridgewood pantry is one of more than 80 school pantries River Bend supports.
The school pantry transition is part of the food bank’s multi-pronged response to anticipated increased need for food support as legislative changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, reshapes the fight against hunger. These changes include expanded work requirements and administrative cost sharing for states – totaling a potential estimated $40 million in Iowa and an estimated $800 million in Illinois over the next two years.
Colvin said developing a contingency plan for any loss of SNAP is heavy work, but it is the people who stand with River Bend that make that work possible.
“Women Fighting Hunger is a powerful event that brings together community connectors – individuals in our community who step up and speak out for change,” Colvin said. “We’re so excited to celebrate the power of community – and what we can accomplish together when we unite to deliver hope and hunger relief.”
Since 2019, Women Fighting Hunger has raised over $400,000. This year’s March 26 event is projected to raise $150,000, or the equivalent of 750,000 meals for River Bend’s school-based programs.
Learn more at Women Fighting Hunger. Although tickets are sold out, individuals can still donate to support Women Fighting Hunger and River Bend’s school-based programs: Donate to Women Fighting Hunger.