CCFB News» April 2020

Together with partners, Cook County Farm Bureau® donated much needed food staples to Together We Cope. The donations directly benefit the 5,000 people in four Cook County townships who rely on the food pantry monthly.

Donations were raised in celebration of Food Checkout Day which celebrates the healthy and nutritious food local farmers grow and raise by providing food or cash donations to people in need.

“Cook County and Illinois farmers are committed to growing safe and nutritious food for our families and for others,” said Janet McCabe, President of Cook County Farm Bureau. “Food Checkout Day allows us to recognize the importance of healthy, nutritious food while supporting local families in need.”

For the past 19 years, Cook County Farm Bureau has partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. Through the generosity of partners for nearly two decades, Farm Bureau donated over $145,000 and nearly 100,000 pounds of food. 

In celebration of Food Checkout Day and the nutritious food local farmers grow and raise, Cook County elementary school students collected dimes as part of “Dimes for Dairy”. All donations raised by the students were used to purchase dairy products for the families who rely on Together We Cope’s services.  In celebration of Cook County Farm Bureau’s 100th anniversary, donations up to $100 were matched by Cook County Farm Bureau.  Farm Bureau in conjunction with elementary school students and Prairie Farms Dairy will donate over $3,800 for the purchase of dairy products.

‘Dimes for Dairy’ participants:

Country Financial agencies collecting food and cash donations:

 Food Checkout Day partners and sponsors:

As part of Food Checkout Day, Farm Bureau sponsored a scavenger hunt at Meijer in Orland Park between representatives from the Oak Forest, Tinley Park, and Palos Park Fire Departments at Meijer.  All food items were by the Farm Bureau and donated to Together We Cope.

Partners, shoppers, and Farm Bureau members donated nearly $7,000 to the charity and over 1,000 pounds of food staples.

In 2012, Food Checkout Day was named a Summit Award winner by the American Society of Association Executives.  The Summit Award recognizes the positive impact that non-profit associations have on their community.

Firefighters from Tinley Park collected all 200 items to claim victory in this year's Food Checkout Day Scavenger Hunt.              

Tinley Park, Palos, and Oak Forest Fire Departments joined Cook County Farm Bureau® members and partners in a Scavenger Hunt to raise food staples for Together We Cope, a local food pantry serving 27 south suburban municipalities in four townships as part of Food Checkout Day.  Food Checkout Day celebrates the healthy and nutritious food grown and raised by local farmers.

Together We Cope serves 27 south suburban communities, including Alsip, Blue Island, Bridgeview, Chicago Ridge, Country Club Hills, Crestwood, Evergreen Park, Garden Homes, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Hickory Hills, Hometown, Homewood, Markham, Merrionette Park, Midlothian, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Posen, Robbins, Tinley Park, and Worth, in four townships, Bremen, Orland, Palos, and Worth.  Together We Cope based in Tinley Park, serves 5,000 people monthly.

As the county’s largest general farm organization, Cook County Farm Bureau is dedicated to bridging the gap between farmers and urban consumers. Through education programs targeting youth and their parents and programs designed to connect farmers with potential consumers, Farm Bureau members are actively engaging in conversations about food and the shared values between farmers and consumers.