By Rebecca Fanning
Medill Reports

It’s Chicago Restaurant Week, the best time to find deals and the worst time to make a reservation at foodie hotspots. But this year there’s a chance to give back. As part of a partnership between Restaurant Week organizers Choose Chicago and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, diners can make donations after finishing their meals.

“It’s an amazing organization. Really the goal is raise awareness and drive donations,” said Jordan Engerman, Director of Partnerships for Choose Chicago.

And every bit counts. According to Food Depository, one dollar provides three meals for those in need, and February is one of the slowest months of the year for donations.

Over 600,000 people in Cook County are food insecure, and one in six residents turns to the Food Depository’s network of food banks and shelters each year for assistance.

“One of the things that really surprises people about hunger in our community is that the face of hunger is so different than what many people assume it is,” said Paul Morello, Senior Manager of Public Relations for the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

“It makes a lot of sense for those who are serving really high quality food to also be helping with the fight against hunger.”

To make a donation text CRW to 41444 through Thursday.