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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to commend Shirley Chu of Galesburg for
4acting as a lifeline in her community by providing free meals
5to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Shirley Chu owns and operates Tres Café in
7Galesburg, through which she has given out nearly 20,000 free
8meals since the start of the pandemic; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Shirley Chu initially gave out free meals to
10first responders, but as other community organizations asked
11to collaborate with her in the thick of the pandemic, she
12expanded her free meal donation program to local youth groups,
13mail carriers, senior centers, and food pantries; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Shirley Chu was nominated for the WQAD News 8 and
15Ascentra Credit Union's Pay It Forward, an uplifting series
16documenting stories of what happens when someone steps up at
17the right time to make someone else's life a little easier, and
18she received $300 in thanks for her service to her community
19and her customers throughout the pandemic; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Shirley Chu and Tres Café also received the
21Illinois Fraternal Order of Police's Blue and Gold Award,

 

 

HR0537- 2 -LRB103 35651 LAW 65726 r

1which is presented to organizations or individuals not in law
2enforcement for outstanding support to police officers, for
3organizing a fundraiser that raised almost $18,000 on behalf
4of the family of fallen Knox County Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas
5Weist; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Shirley Chu, originally from the Philippines,
7often encountered food insecurity while growing up there;
8while she understands that having one meal for one day is not
9comparable to not having meals for seven days, her own
10experience with hunger gave her hope that her free meal
11donation program could change other people's lives for the
12better, even during times of great stuggle such as the
13pandemic; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
15HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16we commend Shirley Chu for her commitment to bettering the
17lives of those in her Galesburg community through her free
18meal donation program during the COVID-19 pandemic; and be it
19further
 
20    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
21presented to Shirley Chu as an expression of our esteem and
22respect.