Strack & Van Til 2015 Charity Golf Outing Raises $215,000 for Community Initiatives

Strack & Van Til, Ultra Foods, and Town and Country Market held their annual Charity Golf Outing at Cog Hill Golf Club in Illinois in late August as many golfers showed to enjoy the last bits of summer with a good game on the green.

Click here to see more photos!

The outing featured a four-person scramble that had players competing for prizes and bragging rights. Breakfast and a hearty dinner buffet were served, and there was food available on the course so all involved could snack and swing away. There were also many awesome silent auction items available for guests' bidding pleasure, like a trip to a Las Vegas or Chicago Blackhawks tickets.

Each year, the proceeds from the Charity Golf Outing benefit different nonprofit organizations. This year, proceeds will benefit the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, the Northern Illinois Food Bank, St. James Family Help Center of Northern Indiana, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and over 20 more.

“I’ve been in charge of planning the golf outing for about five years and it’s the biggest one we have each year,” Andy Raab, Vice President of Real Estate Facilities and the Strack & Van Til Charity Golf Outing Coordinator said. “We have stores located in different cities and counties and we are very supportive of our local communities. Throughout the year we will do smaller things like a pancake breakfast or sponsor a little league baseball team or the Girl Scouts, but this is the largest one we do. Typically we raise between $200,000 and $230,000 each year.”

Each of these nonprofits benefit many causes: homeless shelters, health related nonprofits, educational foundations, and other worthy causes. Two nonprofits were presented with physical checks at the golf outing in particular - the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and the Northern Illinois Food Bank. The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana received $50,000 and the Northern Illinois Food Bank received $25,000. The combined total of proceeds collected is about $215,000, so the rest of the nonprofits will get a generous amount to use for their causes.

“This will help to support our mission of serving people in our region,” Stan Beekman, Development and Deputy Director for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana said. “So many people are food insecure and we appreciate the support that Strack & Van Til and all involved in this event. Strack & Van Til has supported us for many years and it shows their true giving nature.”

“We will use all of the money we receive to provide more food for more hungry neighbors,” Gary Knuth, Manager of Partner Relations for the Northern Illinois Food Bank said. “Strack & Van Til and Central Grocers are very supportive of us and many other food banks and we can’t thank them enough.”

These nonprofits give thousands, and combined they serve millions, of meals to those in need each year. Hunger is an issue that runs rampant all over the world. Right here in our back yard we see the problem every day, but with the help of these nonprofits we can fight the pain of hunger pangs and provide hope and a hot meal to someone who needs it.

“It feels great to be part of this,” Ken Diehl, President and CEO of Strack & Van Til said. “The golf outing is a phenomenal event and we raise a lot of money each year and we’re very excited to hand these checks out. Without these nonprofit organizations we don’t exist.”