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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to commend Shirley Chu of Galesburg for | ||||||
| 4 | acting as a lifeline in her community by providing free meals | ||||||
| 5 | to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Shirley Chu owns and operates Tres Café in | ||||||
| 7 | Galesburg, through which she has given out nearly 20,000 free | ||||||
| 8 | meals since the start of the pandemic; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, Shirley Chu initially gave out free meals to | ||||||
| 10 | first responders, but as other community organizations asked | ||||||
| 11 | to collaborate with her in the thick of the pandemic, she | ||||||
| 12 | expanded her free meal donation program to local youth groups, | ||||||
| 13 | mail carriers, senior centers, and food pantries; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, Shirley Chu was nominated for the WQAD News 8 and | ||||||
| 15 | Ascentra Credit Union's Pay It Forward, an uplifting series | ||||||
| 16 | documenting stories of what happens when someone steps up at | ||||||
| 17 | the right time to make someone else's life a little easier, and | ||||||
| 18 | she received $300 in thanks for her service to her community | ||||||
| 19 | and her customers throughout the pandemic; and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, Shirley Chu and Tres Café also received the | ||||||
| 21 | Illinois Fraternal Order of Police's Blue and Gold Award, | ||||||
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| 1 | which is presented to organizations or individuals not in law | ||||||
| 2 | enforcement for outstanding support to police officers, for | ||||||
| 3 | organizing a fundraiser that raised almost $18,000 on behalf | ||||||
| 4 | of the family of fallen Knox County Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas | ||||||
| 5 | Weist; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Shirley Chu, originally from the Philippines, | ||||||
| 7 | often encountered food insecurity while growing up there; | ||||||
| 8 | while she understands that having one meal for one day is not | ||||||
| 9 | comparable to not having meals for seven days, her own | ||||||
| 10 | experience with hunger gave her hope that her free meal | ||||||
| 11 | donation program could change other people's lives for the | ||||||
| 12 | better, even during times of great stuggle such as the | ||||||
| 13 | pandemic; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 14 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 15 | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 16 | we commend Shirley Chu for her commitment to bettering the | ||||||
| 17 | lives of those in her Galesburg community through her free | ||||||
| 18 | meal donation program during the COVID-19 pandemic; and be it | ||||||
| 19 | further | ||||||
| 20 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 21 | presented to Shirley Chu as an expression of our esteem and | ||||||
| 22 | respect. | ||||||