URBANA, IL ( Chambana Today) – The Champaign and Urbana Police Departments were repacking food at the Eastern Illinois Foodbank at noon today, as part of the “Protect & Feed” campaign. This collaboration was part of a Giving Tuesday initiative aimed at raising meals for families in need through the Eastern Illinois Foodbank (EIF).

Urbana Police Chief (right) Larry Boone, and Deputy Chief Dave Smysor lead their team in repacking efforts.

In addition to the Champaign and Urbana Police Departments, this year’s competition included the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, Parkland College Police Department, Rantoul Police Department, and the University of Illinois Police Department. The campaign, began in early November, and culminated today on Giving Tuesday, December 3.

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Amanda Borden, VP of Development for the EIF, says “we were really excited about the community engagement component of having the local police agencies compete to raise food and funds through a competitive volunteer opportunity. Today is Giving Tuesday; we thought this would be the perfect opportunity for all of the different police agencies to come together to make an even bigger impact on our neighbors who are facing food insecurity.”

The departments were competing for the “Protect & Feed” trophy, awarded to the agency that raises the most meals through a combination of funds donated, food collected, and food repacked. The campaign’s goal is to provide additional support to those experiencing hunger and to help put meals on tables during the holiday season.

  • 12:00–1:00 PM: Champaign Police Department vs. Urbana Police Department
  • 1:30–2:30 PM: Parkland College Police Department vs. University of Illinois Police Department
  • 3:00–4:00 PM: Champaign County Sheriff’s Office vs. Rantoul Police Department
Champaign Police vs. Urbana Police – both brought a lot of re-packing energy to the Eastern Illinois Foodbank competition.

Borden talked about how many families depend on the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, and why it’s more important than ever to support their efforts to combat food insecurity: “We have seen a 90% increase in the need from people seeking out our network of partner agencies…we are generally seeing historic highs of sustained needs. That’s why an event like this not only raises food and funds, but also raises awareness.”

The repacking shifts were, held at the Eastern Illinois Foodbank Volunteer Center, at 2405 North Shore Drive in Urbana. For more information or to contribute, contact the Eastern Illinois Foodbank at eifoodbank.org.