Bears, bowling and benefiting charity, the synergy was apparent and moods were high. On Tuesday, Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) wrapped up its three month bowling promotion with a packed house at eSkape Entertainment Center in Buffalo Grove.

Starting in April the Food Bank brought a bowling tournament to 6 communities with the hopes of raising funds and awareness for their fight against hunger. Qualifying rounds were held in Bolingbrook, St. Charles, Carol Stream, Woodridge, Algonquin and Buffalo Grove.

On Tuesday night twenty-four teams (including two composed of Former Chicago Bears standouts) each did their best to take home the coveted “Hunger Cup”. In the end, though, there could only be one winner. The highest scoring team was ACOSTA Sales and Marketing with a score of 2,897. According to ACOSTA team member Mike Puttrich the hunger cup trophy “is like the Stanley Cup of Bowling”. Strike Out Hunger Champion is one title he wants to retain. Puttrich and his teammates will automatically be placed into a qualifying round next year to defend their title.

Among the former Chicago Bears players in attendance were James “Big Cat” Williams, Otis Wilson, Glen Kozlowski, and Jim Morrissey. They signed memorabilia, posed for photos and chatted up the crowd. And when it came time to do some bowling they proved they could do more than play football. Also included in the event were raffles, a 50-50 drawing and silent auction items.

The event raised almost $25,000 which will purchase roughly 200,000 pounds of food and go a long way towards helping the Food Bank in their fight to end hunger.

With unemployment in Illinois above 10 percent, many people going to food pantries and other food assistance sites are doing so for the first time in their lives.

About Northern Illinois Food Bank

Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB) is a non-profit organization that provides food to all those in need through its 520 partner agencies in 13 counties including – Boone, DuPage, DeKalb, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, Will and Winnebago. NIFB acquires, gathers, handles, and distributes donated, government, and purchased food to nearly 50,000 different people each week through local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, youth activity centers and other food assistance sites.