Author: Jim McIlroy

LOVES PARK, Ill. (WIFR) — “Be inspired, be inspiring.” That’s the motto of local healthy food and healthy lifestyle business Food 4 Fuel. The company has now teamed up with a former employee to help a family in need.

Bernal worked with Lilly and the two were friends. Hours after hearing about his friend’s death, Bernal stood near 15th and Main asking passersby for cash and visited local bars as well. From that alone, he made almost $500 to help with Lilly’s funeral and clothes for Lilly’s children. Bernal also asked McIlroy for his help. Food 4 Fuel CEO Jim McIlroy says Jesus Bernal came to him with the idea to help the children of Jordan Lilly. 21-year-old Lilly was killed leaving a party on Sablewood Drive, the morning of July 22.

“I came to Jim because I know Jim knows a lot of good people that are helping as you can see the donations that came by,” Bernal says. “I know that he would reach out to a lot of people. He’s been good. He’s a good guy.”

“I was just inspired by you know, his passion and enthusiasm during this grieving time because that was a friend of his that he had lost,” McIlroy says. “And he just wanted to step up and take action and try to do something to help and make good out of a bad situation.”

The community is encouraged to bring diapers, wipes, food, size three and four T clothing and baby shampoo or soap. The items can be dropped off until Friday at the Food 4 Fuel fridge inside the Carlson Ice Arena.

Food 4 Fuel will deliver the donations to the Lilly family on Friday.

A former prostitute, a Rockford cop and a businessman. They may sound like an unlikely trio. But together, they’re the perfect combination to make a difference.

“On a daily basis, two or three people come to our door for food every day just through word of mouth,” said Carly Rice, a community activist who used to be homeless.

Rice knows what it’s like to be hungry and alone. She was a drug addict and a prostitute before she turned her life around. It’s why she started walking around the Midtown neighborhood feeding homeless people healthy meals. But her little red wagon and home refrigerator could only do so much, That’s when Jim McIlroy, owner of Food 4 Fuel, stepped in.

“I’ve had this vision for a long time of a refrigerator, putting it downtown and just allow people to come and take what they need,” said McIlroy.

He donated a commercial refrigerator to Carly, along with a promise to help her in her mission. He supplies some of the healthy food that will fill it. But the help doesn’t stop there.  Resident Police Officer Eric Thurmond has joined on too.

“Especially in my line of work, I don’t know how long I have on this Earth.  So while I’m here I’m going to anything and everything to leave this place better than when I got here,” said Thurmond.

“He knows who the people are who are in really great need and he’s spending some of his own money to buy food,” said McIlroy.

Between the three of them they make, store and deliver the healthy food to anyone who needs it. But it’s not just about filling stomachs. It’s also about feeding souls.

“There are organizations out there for them but some of them don’t feel like they’re worthy of it and that’s a problem. So they need somebody in between that tells them ‘Hey, you know, you’re loved and you’re worthy.’,” said Rice.

A message the trio is focused on giving to anyone who needs a helping hand.

If you’d like to help, you can drop off donations of food or other products on Mondays to 1125 5th Avenue in Rockford.

Read the full article, here.

Weight loss is top of mind this time of year, with New Year’s resolutions being planned with the best intentions.

Eating Healthy in the New Year

The top resolutions for the past several years have been a combination of staying fit/healthy and losing weight, according to consumer research company Nielsen. Consulting with your doctor is one of the first steps in creating a healthy lifestyle plan that’s the best fit.

Eating right and being more physically active are top suggestions from the National Institute of Health’s “Aim for a Healthy Weight” website where you can find healthy eating plans, menus, food exchange lists, shopping tips, facts on portion control, recipes and more. A December 2014 study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that more time spent on home food preparation was associated with higher diet quality, including eating more fruits and vegetables.

The same study noted that time was an “essential ingredient” in creating healthier eating habits among adults. That lack of time in our daily lives carved out a niche for meal delivery kit companies such as Plated, Hello Fresh and Blue Apron, which have grown in popularity in recent years. And healthy meal companies such as Illinois-based Seattle Sutton’s Healthy Eating have been around for more than 30 years.

If you need help with food prep, here are some local options to get you started.

Continue reading “815: Rockford-area food prep experts come to the rescue.”