Regional Media Podcast Network

We are a month out from the first Feed the Children service date so I’d like to talk about Feed The Children details.  See you Tuesday morning!

 

Feed The Children

Feed The Children has been serving meals since 2001 when Northwestern Steel and Wire closed.

United Way provides grab-and-go meals at 18 sites throughout Whiteside County. Meals feature kid-friendly foods like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, crackers, granola bars, and fruit juice.   This program has no registration requirements, and participation is open to all children and teens 18 and under.  Everyone is welcome, always.

15%, of Whiteside County children were food insecure, which means they do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Summer of 2022 we served 21, 473 meals, a 50% increase over the summer of 2021.

Expect another significant increase in the number of meals served in 2023 because of the increasing cost of groceries and the pandemic SNAP benefits ending.

This increased demand coupled with less purchasing power and less food availability at the food bank is creating a “perfect storm” for summer 2023

 

Feed The Children: Volunteers

Same location for making meals this summer – St Paul’s Church in Sterling at the corner of LeFevre and 16th

We are looking for over 500 volunteers to pack and hand out meals this summer

Sign ups are live online at:  uwwhiteside.org – on the home page under Latest News

We also need some specialized help – a truck with a lift gate for food deliveries

Feed the Children saw a 50% increase in the number of meals served in 2022.  You helped us serve almost 22,000 free meals to children in Whiteside County last year.

Todd Dedecker from the Bishop Hill Heritage Association joined Wake Up Tri-Counties on Monday to talk about Civil War Days which are taking place this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, in Bishop Hill. Todd joined us to talk about what is in store for visitors this weekend including a look at the way soldiers on both sides of the War lived during the war. A look at the Civilians of the era and a visit by General U.S Grant. All of that and, of course, live music, food and shopping in Bishop Hill on Saturday, and Sunday, May 6th and 7th, 2023.

Both locations of OSF Healthcare in our area, OSF Saint Luke Medical Center in Kewanee and OSF Saint Clare Medical Center in Princeton are providing more local, General Surgery options than ever before. In many cases, times when you would have had to travel to Peoria or the Quad Cities for a routine or General Surgery, can now be done closer to home via the efforts of local medical professionals at OSF locations. Kim Morse, Lisa Garcia, and Samantha Rux, all from OSF joined Wake Up TriCounties to talk about General Surgery options in Kewanee. The trio also touted next week as Nurses Week, a special week in which everyone's who has had a great relationship with a Nurse over the past year is encouraged to reach out and say thank you. Nurses Week gets underway on Monday, May 8th, 2023.

Jim Kelly, Henry County Director of Economic Development and Yolanda Certvantez with Mercado on Fifth, joined Wake Up Tri-Counties on Friday morning to talk about Back to Business grant opportunities. If you are in the restaurant business, the arts, or a hotel or B & B owner, you may qualify for a Back to Business Grant. Jim Kelly and Yolanda Cervantez want people in those industries to know that they will write your grant for you. Don't be intimidated by the idea of grant writing, all you need to do is apply and provide documentations showing how the pandemic impacted your business and they will write the grant for you.

This morning Jill talked about The Cinco de Mayo wellness festival coming up next Friday. Also the Peace Justice Freedom Dignity 5K not that far away on Saturday June 10th. Plus a few other items going on with The YWCA.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. John and Gary from A.B.A.TE. stopped in this morning to talk about the organization, the programs the members are involved in, and of course, motorcycle safety.

Sara Billiet from the Kewanee Public Library was our guest on Wake Up Tri-Counties on Thursday, April 27th, 2023. Sara joined WKEI to talk about the latest upcoming events at the Kewanee Public Library including a presentation by local, Kewanee Historian Larry Lock. On Tuesday, May 9th, in the community room at the Library starting at 6:30 PM, Larry Lock will give a presentation about the history of Kewanee's downtown. If you are a lover of history, this event is definitely for you and there is no cost to attend. Sara also talked Tote-bags. The Kewanee Public Library is teaching people about a new machine called The Cricut. It's a machine that can print a logo or a design on an item and it's great for crafts. Stop by the library on May 6th between 3 and 5:30 PM for more information and a free tote bag with your design on it.

The Henry and Stark County Health Department is headed to Geneseo on Friday, April 28th, as part of the 12 Communities in 12 Months campaign. The Health Department will be at the Geneseo Public Library on Friday from 9 AM to 11 AM promoting public health initiatives. RaeAnn Tucker from the Henry and Stark County Health Department joined Wake Up Tri-Counties on Thursday, April 27th, to promote the event in Geneseo and invite people aged 65 and older or those with compromised immune systems to come to the Health Department for the next round of COVID-19 booster shots. The FDA is recommending a COVID booster for people who are at the highest risk of severe consequences from COVID-19.

The Galva City Council met for the first time since April's consolidated election. That meant the swearing in of the Mayor and members of the City Council. Mayor Rich Volkert joined WKEI on Wednesday to wrap up the meeting and talk about having been re-elected as Mayor of Kewanee. Mayor Volkert talked about welcoming new members of the staff, honoring former staff who were stepping away, and the Mayor talked about what's coming up in Galva with the start of the Back Road Music Festival around the corner and The Back Road Music Festival coming in August.