The Aurora Young Professionals (AYP) recently responded to the growing need to provide local families with emergency food and nutritional assistance.  Aurora Young Professionals is a rapidly growing organization comprised of the next generation of area business leaders.  The AYP mission focuses on professional development, social networking, and philanthropy.  From March 22 to April 22, the AYP, a networking organization affiliated with the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce, hosted a food drive to benefit the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.  Local businesses and their employees were encouraged to “Give Up, Give Back” by donating nonperishable food items such as breakfast cereal, baby food, and canned fruit.

The response to the AYP “Give Up, Give Back” food drive was remarkable.  During the month-long campaign, area businesses donated over 276 lbs of food items (totaling more than 400 individual items) and more $130 in cash donations.  These contributions will provide assistance to more than 4,000 local families who are registered with the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.  In addition, the contributions from the AYP food drive will be counted toward a program called “The $1 Million Giveaway to Fight Hunger” made possible by the Feinstein Foundation.  This grant will match donations made in March and April, and could generate up to $40,000 for the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry.

A recognition ceremony for the “Give Up, Give Back” food drive took place on April 22 during an AYP social networking event at Ballydoyle Irish Pub and Restaurant in Aurora. Donations of food items were dropped off all night, and participants in the food drive received one raffle ticket for each box that was filled.  At the end of the evening, Joe Henning, CEO of the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce, was on-hand to draw the winning ticket.

The Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry would like to thank AYP for all of their hard work in coordinating this drive and collecting donations.  We would also like to recognize the local businesses and individuals who contributed to the food drive: United Van Lines, ATMI Companies, Jimmie Delgado, Earthmover Credit Union, First Centennial Mortgage Corporation, Jake’s Bagels, Kelmscott Communications, Layne-Western, Old Second National Bank, Olsson Roofing, ReMax—Prairie Street, Reulands, Cindy Roher, Rush Copley Family Medical Center, Salon Two Nine, Superior Beverage, and VNA of Fox Valley.  Without all of their hard work, none of this would have been possible!