Franciscan Health Foundation raised $100,000 through a matching gift challenge to combat food insecurity in Northwest Indiana.
Franciscan Health has partnered with the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and the School City of Hammond to provide food boxes with nutritious fare to families in need. Mobile Food Markets in the Franciscan Health Hammond hospital parking lot serve about 100 families a month. It plans to explain the program with a Healthy Food Bodega at the hospital that will help people eat more healthily, educating visitors on the need for a healthy diet.
Tom Sourlis and his wife, Susan Eleuterio, pledged $25,000 over five years and then a $25,000 matching grant for the food insecurity initiative. Franciscan Health Foundation rose to the challenge, raising $66,000 from 31 donors, including doctors and board members. The Franciscan Health Dyer/Hammond/Munster Hospitals Medical Executive Committee chipped in $10,000.
“We are delighted that this challenge to support efforts to make healthy food easily accessible to NWI residents has succeeded. We are excited to be able to help this innovative approach by providing healthy resources and alleviating hunger in our community,” Sourlis and Eleuterio said in a statement.
People are also reading…
The couple raised their matching gift to $34,000, leaving the foundation with $100,000 raised in just two months.
“Tom and Susan have generous philanthropic hearts. They are committed to creating transformational change for the most vulnerable throughout Northwest Indiana. This commitment fueled the success of their matching gift challenge. I am truly thankful for their partnership and for the incredible impact and support exhibited by everyone who helped us surpass our goal. As a result, we will be able to feed more hungry children and families in the Region,” said Rick Peltier, Franciscan Health Foundation executive director.
Food insecurity remains a major issue in the Region with an estimated 13% of children living in food-insecure households, which potentially leads to developmental delays and chronic illness when they grow into adulthood. An estimated 43,000 kids in Lake County get free or reduced lunches at their schools.
For more information, call (219) 661-3401 or visit FranciscanHealthFoundation.org.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Mediterranean restaurant, Bubble tea and poke place, Puerto Rican eatery, chicken and fish joint, men's clothing store and music venue opening
Open
Red Nar Mediterranean Grill is now serving "fast and fresh" Middle Eastern cuisine in Merrillville just across from Kohl's department store at the Southlake Mall.
The fast-casual restaurant chain took over the 2,150-square-foot space occupied by Rapid Fired Pizza at 8180 Mississippi St. It's next to Jimmy John's and Smoothie King in a strip mall at the Hobart border.
Red Nar serves up shawarma, kabobs, falafel, hummus, grape leaves, and baklava. One can order customizable bowls or freshly toasted pita pockets with ingredients like steak shawarma, chicken shawarma, baba ghanoush and yellow rice.
Customers order at the counter like at a Chipotle, selecting the toppings they want. The shawarma is freshly carved off a spit when it's ordered.
The restaurant offers dine-in, takeout and delivery.
The business is open from 11 a.m to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
For more information, call 219-472-0085 or find Red Nar on Facebook.
Coming soon
A tea shop, spa and physical therapist are coming to Porte De L’eau Plaza in Highland.
Royal Tea, Physiopoint Physical Therapy and Essential Spa signed leases to open in the outdoor mall along 45th Street on Highland's south side. Construction has begun on the buildout of the spaces.
Royal Tea is "a Bubble Tea concept that will also sell Thai ice cream, smoothies, milkshakes, poke bowls and waffles," said Brett McDermott of Crown Point-based Latitude Commercial, who represented the landlord along with Myles Rapchak in the lease transactions.
“The activity has really picked up in 2022 and we have good leasing momentum to start the year in the center. We are working with a new ownership group and have successfully worked together completing four leases since their acquisition," he said.
Open
Jolly's Chicken and Fish opened in the Highland Ultra Plaza at Indianapolis Boulevard and Ridge Road.
The fast-food restaurant is located at 8349 Indianapolis Blvd. across from Wicker Park. The veteran-owned eatery serves fried chicken, wings, shrimp, catfish, perch and pizza puffs, as well as sweets and slushies.
Diners can order chicken dinners, fish dinners, wing buckets, fish buckets, chicken tenders, chicken nuggets and Buffalo wings. Dinners come with fries, bread and coleslaw.
One can get chicken legs with Buffalo, garlic parmesan, hot, mild or Jolly's house sauce.
Appetizers include cheese sticks, mac and cheese bites, jalapeno poppers, fried pickles and mushrooms.
Jolly's Chicken and Fish is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
For more information, call 219-237-2986 or email jollyschickenandfish@gmail.com.
Opening
Puerto Mex Taqueria is serving up Puerto Rican and Mexican fare in East Chicago.
The fast-food restaurant at 4916 Indianapolis Blvd. next to the Latin Cuts hair salon offers jibaritos, bistec and Puerto Rican-style steak sandwiches. It took over a former hot dog joint on the boulevard.
It's open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information, call 219-354-8256
Expanded
McGowan & Sons, a seafood market in Valparaiso, has expanded its business to include cooking classes, a new to-go menu, lobster rolls, wine tastings and Friday fish fries.
The business at 1607 Burlington Beach Road specializes in fresh seafood, including a catch of the day, meal kits and freshly made salads. It's now offering Bring Your Bubble Cooking Classes.
"Many of our customers loved our cooking classes that we offered before the pandemic," owner Leslee McGowan said. "It's a little more challenging now to mix people in communal seating so we have developed Bring Your Bubble Cooking Classes. The idea is to bring your group of friends, family and neighbors and we'll host a cooking class complete with cocktails and fun."
It's also offering virtual cooking classes on Thursday evenings.
"These classes are now being offered on Thursday evenings," she said. "Customers pick up their cooking class kit on Thursday and log in Thursday night to learn a few things, eat some good food and socialize virtually."
McGowan & Sons is now frying up walleye on Friday and putting together a Summer Lovin' catering menu that's tailored toward graduate open houses and summer parties, as well as a Lent menu, a Mardi Gras menu and an Island Adventure menu.
It also has launched wine tastings.
"March 5's tasting will feature our friends from Dablon Winery in Michigan. Chef Rob will serve some delightful treats as a preview to our summer menu that day as well," she said. "This is a complimentary wine tasting and a good chance for customers to check out some of our boutique wines while featuring the wine experts and their knowledge."
McGowan & Sons is open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. It's closed on Sundays.
For more information, call 219-299-2336 or visit mcgowanandsons.com.
Relocating
Besse Shirt Lettering is moving from Lansing to Schererville.
The custom T-shirt store at 18058 Torrence Ave. #2100 announced it planned to move across the state line, promising the "same great service, same great prices, and same great turnaround" at a new location in Schererville this spring.
The family-run business has operated in the south suburbs for more than 45 years. It offers screen printing, silkscreen, embroidery and other services. It handles customized orders for work shirts and athletic apparel.
For more information, visit www.besseshirtlettering.com, call 708-474-3599 or email sales@besseshirtlettering.com.
Open
M Spot Fashions is now selling clothes for men of all sizes in Lansing.
The men's fashion store recently opened at 19281 Burnham Ave. in the village. It specializes in casual wear and urban styles.
M Spot Fashions stocks coats, jeans, hoodies, shoes and apparel, selling clothes in sizes of to 6x.
The business is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
For more information, call 708-394-3361.
New offering
Emagine Portage, formerly the Portage IMAX Theater, has launched a winter kids film series that runs through the end of March.
People can pay $3 per ticket to watch classics like "Sing," "Despicable Me" 1 through 3, "Minions" and "The Lorax" at the multiplex at 6550 American Way. Movie theaters have been diversifying their offerings, showing more classics and letting people rent out theaters for private viewing parties, to try to bring back audiences after attendance flagged during the coronavirus pandemic.
For more information or showtimes, visit Emagine-Entertainment.com.
Coming soon
A new music venue is going to open in the historic Morton Salt compound in Chicago.
An outdoor music venue will open at 1357 N. Elston Ave. this summer, followed by a "state-of-the-art" indoor venue in 2023. Thalia Hall, a popular music venue in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, is behind the venture.
The initial lineup of concerts this summer includes Fleet Foxes, Andrew Bird, Iron & Wine, Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olson, Lake Street Dive and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.
All patrons, staff and musicians must provide proof of vaccination for the shows. The concerts start in August and will take place rain or shine.
For more information or tickets, visit saltshedchicago.com.
WATCH NOW: Riding Shotgun with NWI Cops — Patrolling Lowell with Cpl. Aaron Crawford
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Theo's Steakhouse and Umi slated for major renovations; sushi pop-up, Planet Fitness, The Room Place and Alamo Draf…
from "healthy food" - Google News https://ift.tt/ivB6hnO
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment