August 21, 2023

The Bunting family in rural Dwight / Emington, along with some neighbors and friends, was busy picking sweet corn last Friday. An entire acre of corn, to be exact.

The corn was harvested with a one-row pull behind picker and then guided off the conveyer into totes, filled to the brim. The totes got loaded into a truck and then hauled off.

But the bounty wasn’t for their personal freezers and jars, it was headed to the Eastern Illinois Food Bank to help ease hunger in Central Illinois.

In fact, this the 9th year the family has harvested a plot of corn “earmarked” for the “EIF”.

Top, left to right,; Dan Parker, Bob Dornbeirer, Jim Wahl, Mike Haag.

Front lower, left to right,; Chuck Hanley, Zoey, Matt Pieper, Don Bunting, Art Bunting, Chris Mann, Cari Mann, Marcia Bunting, Lee Bunting, Marie Bunting, Tom

The EIF (Eastern Illinois Foodbank) is the primary food source for food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and other programs working to feed neighbors facing hunger. The Foodbank acquires millions of pounds of food and grocery product through purchase or donation and distributes it across our network of more than 160 feeding programs. They’re working to create a hunger-free eastern Illinois. By partnering with EIF, emergency food programs are able to save millions of dollars each year in food purchase and handling costs. These savings allow them to focus their efforts and funds on more effectively working to alleviate hunger in our area. The Foodbank also operates programs targeted to children, seniors and veterans.

Donations like the Bunting’s help aid in these causes by supplying critical fresh produce. Last year, over 16,000 pounds of corn was harvested and donated to the Foodbank.

The organization helps fight hunger in more than 200 agencies in these 18 eastern Illinois communities:

Champaign                    DeWitt                  Livingston
Clark                              Douglas                  McLean
Clay                                Edgar                      Moultrie
Coles                              Ford                        Piatt
Crawford                       Iroquois                  Vermilion
Cumberland                   Jasper                    Woodford

You can learn more about the Eastern Illinois Food Bank here: https://www.eifoodbank.org/