Our goal is to end both hunger and poverty in our community. This month, we want to show you just how much your support impacts this goal and our community.  

This is a HUGE GOAL! To better understand how we are reaching this goal, we often use specific indicators, such as dollars raised or people fed. In this newsletter, you will learn exactly how our statistics, such as dollars raised or pounds of food distributed, have an impact on your community. By doing so, you can better understand how your actions and support help improve the Lakeview community.

Did you know, for example, that with every $1 donated to Lakeview Pantry, we are able to purchase 10 pounds of food? Every client receives around 50lbs of food per client visit, which will last ten to fourteen days. This means that:

By understanding how your gifts and efforts impact our community, we can envision and achieve the larger outcome of the eradication of hunger and poverty.

In the past month, Lakeview Pantry held its first ever March Madness Fundraising Match.

An anonymous donor gave Lakeview Pantry a gift of $5,000 to match every dollar raised up to that amount. Thanks to your generosity, we far exceeded this goal, and raised a total of $26,668.39!

When we start to translate this dollar amount into number of pounds of food, mouths fed, or lives touched, it is immediately apparent this is an AMAZING accomplishment, one that will have phenomenal impact on the lives of people in the Lakeview community.

To those who donated: It is because of you that we are conquering hunger and poverty in our neighborhood.

The front entrance to our East Site Pantry

Thomas (name has been changed) first came to Lakeview Pantry during food distribution. He was depressed and wanted to get back to work, but was having difficulty finding a job. Through meetings with Jenny Dwyer, Lakeview Pantry's Manager of Client Services, Thomas and Jenny were able to talk about managing depression and also spoke a lot about his job interests. They also talked about Thomas' interests and found some job training programs for him to research. In the end, Thomas chose the Community Kitchens program through the GCFD, which prepares participants for jobs in restaurants and food services. The great thing about this program is that they also connect participants with a hands-on internship and job placement.

While Thomas' story doesn't necessarily quantify the impact Lakeview Pantry has had on one client, it shows that a visit to food distribution can sometimes turn into something much larger. When clients comes in for food, they are also able to access services that have larger impacts, such as job security. Sometimes we can measure our impact in terms of number of people fed, and sometimes we measure success upon seeing the larger outcome-the eradication of hunger and poverty in one individual's life.

If you are looking for an alternative way to impact your community, Lakeview Pantry partners are hosting a variety of new and exciting events within the next few months. Check out these four events-three of which are new events. Whether you enjoy yoga, music, pizza, or bingo, there is bound to be something for everybody!,

                1. Rock Relief: Fundraiser for LVP hosted by Fizz

Grab your friends and head to Fizz on Thursday, April 25th for Rock Relief: Fundraiser for Lakeview Pantry! $10 door charge covers your first beer and live music by Bento Harbor Lunchbox.

2. GETT DOWN DOGG

Join us at Power Yoga Chicago, Friday April 26th @ 6:00pm-7:30pm. $10 tickets, all proceeds benefit Lakeview Pantry. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

3. Pizza for Dough 2013

For one day only - May 22, 2013 - Lakeview Pantry will receive a donation for every purchase made at the HomeMade Pizza Co. store on Southport Avenue in Lakeview. See event site for more details.

4. HamBINGO Monday at Hamburger Mary's

June 10, 2013, Join Lakeview Pantry for "HamBINGO Mary's" Monday night at 8pm DOWNSTAIRS in the dining room... With Velicity Metropolis calling the balls, you know this ain't your church bingo! $15 to play all night.

Now that you know exactly how your dollars are converted into pounds of food, and how long pounds of food will feed one family for, you may be able to measure the impact of each of these events, but you still can't quantify a fun night out for a good cause!

1. Beaubien Elementary School Photos

2. Chicago from Space

3. Pizza and Love in Wrigleyville

4. Lakeview home to nation's best fried chicken

5. Milt's BBQ voted one of Chicago Magazine's Best New Restaurants in 2013

Bonus!

6. New veggie food items available at Wrigley

--For our Cubs fans!