Loaves & Fishes: Honored for Services; Promoting Fundraiser

The folks at have been keeping busy. Recently, the nonprofit was honored for its tax assistance program, helped families get ready for back to school and now is preparing for an upcoming fundraiser.

Next month, the organization and will benefit from a fundraising program that will have area businesses donating a portion of their gross receipts.

The mayors of and Wheaton have proclaimed Sept. 15 Literally Ending Hunger Together Day, according to Loaves & Fishes. Both literacy awareness and hunger action are commemorated during September. The fundraising event will take place in both communities on Sept. 15.

Literacy DuPage helps adults with low-level reading skills become more independent, while Loaves & Fishes helps feed those in need, while also providing leadership and empowerment for self-sufficiency.

Roughly 40 Naperville and 30 Wheaton businesses will participate in the event. A few of the Naperville businesses that will participate in the fundraiser include: , The Red Geranium, , and . Participants in Wheaton include Elements & Starrs Boutique, Ivy, Paper House, and Tasting DeVine. For a complete listing, visit www.loaves-fishes.org or www.literacydupage.org.

Back to school

With support from , Loaves & Fishes was recently able to supply 1,500 students with back to school supplies, according to Loaves & Fishes.

This was the 10th year that Our Saviour’s led the effort to ensure students in need had backpacks filled with school supplies.

Loaves & Fishes Virtual Backpack Drive, which was held July 18-31 allowed the organization to collect enough donations to buy an additional 500 backpacks, according to the Naperville-based nonprofit.

On Aug. 6 the organization distributed 600 backpacks during its first Back2School Fair, which 350 families attended. All of the 1,500 backpacks have since been claimed.

“We were gratified by the response to our first Back2School Fair,” Loaves & Fishes Executive Director Charles McLimans said in a news release. “School supplies is one of our major children’s outreach programs, and we are grateful to Our Saviour’s and all the donors who made it possible to empower kids to succeed at school this year.”

Award for VITA program

In its inaugural year offering the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, the nonprofit was honored by the Internal Revenue Service.

The Loaves & Fishes VITA program, which ran during tax season from February through mid-April, prepared income tax returns for 157 households, who received more than $198,000 in refunds, according to Loaves & Fishes.

“At Loaves & Fishes we believe and have seen clear evidence that VITA is VITAL to the financial health of our community, and communities like ours across the United States,” McLimans said in a news release. “VITA is the perfect model of how successful public-private partnerships can and should work efficiently and effectively to benefit low income families and individuals.”

The nonprofit received a visit from IRS Wage and Investment Commissioner, Richard Byrd, Jr., of Atlanta, Ga., who commended the organization on its efforts.

Byrd encouraged the organization to expand its VITA efforts, and Loaves & Fishes said in a news release it intends to expand its VITA schedule to meet increased demand.

To learn more about Loaves & Fishes visit the organization online at www.loaves-fishes.org or call 630-355-3663.