Events

MillerCoors joins Together We Cope
to brighten the holidays for hundreds
Two hundred area families got a holiday surprise in a special program at Together We Cope in December: food for a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.
      TWC was joined by MillerCoors and Hayes Beer Distributing Company of Alsip in an outreach to many of TWC’s client families. MillerCoors and Hayes provided hams, turkeys, vegetables, stuffing, gravy and pie in conjunction with Ultra Foods. Several MillerCoors employees worked with Together We Cope volunteers in the food pantry distributing the meals throughout the afternoon.
      “This gift from MillerCoors could not have come at a better time,” said Kathryn Straniero, executive director of TWC. “Requests for food from our panty have grown steadily throughout this year, and we are stretched to our limits some days to provide groceries to all who seek food. Providing these full meals to 200 families was a very generous gesture from MillerCoors.”
      Mark White of MillerCoors and Jim Hayes of Hayes Distributing coordinated the event at TWC.
      Together We Cope currently is serving more than 55 families per day at its food pantry, which is open five days per week.

Tinley’s Toyland Parade 2011
More than 100 youngsters donated gifts to Together We Cope’s Christmas toy drive during Tinley Park’s annual Toyland Parade Dec. 3 in the village downtown. Children carried their toys in the parade, then deposited them in the TWC truck at the Oak Park Avenue Metra train station. “I brought a Barbie doll,” one little girl said, “because that's what I'd like to get this Christmas.” Another child said: “I hope all kids everywhere will have a happy, happy Christmas.” One mother said she brings her children to the parade each year to show them how to share their good fortune with others who might need some help. Together We Cope provided holiday gifts to more than 1,200 area children through its annual Adopt-a-Child program this year. [Home]

“Pasta Extravaganza” 2011 at the Orland Chateau
Together We Cope’s annual Pasta Extravaganza and Night at the Races was a wonderful success this year. A large crowd filled the banquet room at Orland Chateau in Orland Park on Sept. 14 for great food and lots of fun with the videotaped horse races. We are especially grateful to all the staff and volunteers who spent hours making sure all of our guests had a good time. Below are the restaurants that donated food to the fabulous buffet we offered.
Restaurants that supported Pasta Extravaganza:
Aurelio’s Pizza * Barraco’s Pizza * Beggar’s Pizza * Brown’s Chicken * Buffalo Wild Wings
* Chick-Fil-A * Cuzzin’s Cafe * Culver’s * Diana’s Kitchen * Durbins * Edible Arrangements
* Euro Fresh Market * Frankie’s Ristorante * Gatto’s * Hienie’s McCarthy’s * Hooters
* Isabella’s Italian Cafe * Jersey Mike’s * Jewel * Jimmy John’s * Kathie Kellogg * Kenootz Pizza
* Labriola Baking Company * Little Joe’s Restaurant * Luby’s Pub * Mama Vesuvio’s East
* Marcotte’s * McDonald’s * Nancy’s Pizza * Nick’s Barbecue * Olive Garden * Palermo’s Restaurant
* Papa Joe’s Restaurant * Patio Restaurant * Rosati’s Pizza * Rubino’s Italian Imports
* Salina’s Pasta and Pizza * Subway * Trio * Village Pizza * Vito and Nick’s II Pizzeria
* Walt’s Food * Winston’s Market

Together they Brewed up a “Cope-asetic” event at
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery Orland Park

iain

Brew master Iain Wilson (left) samples a just-tapped beer with Jon Jones, general manager of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in Orland Park. The restaurant hosted a benefit for Together We Cope Aug. 11.

This brew master has used chili, chocolate and even peanut butter (“whatever floats my boat,” he says) in creating new beers for customers at Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in Orland Park. He put those skills to work Aug. 11 for Together We Cope when the restaurant offered “Cope-asetic” in $5 take-home pint glasses to benefit the nonprofit agency based in Tinley Park.
      Originally from Scotland, Iain Wilson holds a degree in chemistry and did his postgraduate work at the International Center for Brewing and Distilling in Edinburgh. He has settled in at Rock Bottom because “I like the freedom to brew, to experiment,” he said.
      The restaurant hosted the Together We Cope fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug 11 at 16156 South LaGrange Road in Orland Park. The $5 pint glasses will feature the TWC logo. The evening also features a raffle for an iPad2 and a silent auction for a variety of gift baskets. Proceeds will be donated to TWC to support its work to prevent homelessness in the south suburbs. There is no admission ticket required.
      The “Cope-asetic” brew is also known at Rock Bottom as “Eric the Red.” The popular beer already has won one medal and Wilson will enter it in another competition later this year. Wilson taps at least one new beer every month at Rock Bottom, and likes talking to the regular customers who visit the restaurant on the days he unveils just-tapped brews. He studies customer preferences and incorporates that information in his brewing.
      “The American public’s tastes have changed when it comes to beer. The IPA is popular now,” he said. India Pale Ale is 6.5 to 7.5 percent alcohol and has lots of hops, he explained. “It was originally brewed to last for a long journey to UK troops in India, and had lots of hops to keep it fresh.”
      Jon Jones, general manager at the Orland Park brewery, said the restaurant has anywhere from 12 to 15 beers available at any given time, with six of them available all year long. “The rest of the beers rotate, depending on the season, customer demand and the brewer’s choice,” Jones said. He said the restaurant is happy to offer its beer to benefit Together We Cope.
      Together We Cope is a nonprofit agency that provides assistance to families in temporary crisis through a food pantry, resale shop and help with some costs such as rent and utility bills. Further information on the agency, or the Aug. 11 benefit, is available at www.togetherwecope.org or (708) 633-5040.

“Stogies & Bogeys” 2011

Together We Cope • 17010 South Oak Park Avenue, Tinley Park, Illinois 60477 • 708-633-5040