"I wanted to take an opportunity to raise awareness on this extremely important issue," said Jacobs.  "Children coming to school hungry are placed at an unfair disadvantage. If we want to continue to grow as a region, it's important for us to remember hunger isn't a seasonal issue but a yearlong battle for many."

Jacobs recognizes Riverbend Foodbank's need for donations does not end with the holiday season. Local food and fund drives are the key sources of food and funding in their effort to alleviate hunger in our community. To make a monetary donation visit www.riverbendfoodbank.org/donate.htm

Who: State Senator Mike Jacobs (D-Moline)

What: State Senator Mike Jacobs is hosting a district wide food and fund drive to benefit the Riverbend Foodbank.

When: Starting, Monday, September 15 through Tuesday, September 30

At the following locations:

Senator Mike Jacobs' Moline District Office:

606 19th Street, Moline, IL 61265

Drop off hours: Monday - Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Representative Pat Verschoore's Office:

1504 3rd Ave., 2nd Floor, County Office Bldg, Rock Island, IL 61201

Drop off hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.)

Mayor Skip Lee, Sterling City Hall:

212 3rd Ave., Sterling, IL 61081

Drop off hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fire Chief John Swan, Colona Fire Department

401 1st St, Colona, IL 61241

Drop off hours: September 15 and September 30, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

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Hundreds of books donated during Du Quoin State Fair will go to students

DuQUOIN - Sept. 15, 2014. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon donated hundreds of books to Du Quoin Community Unit School District 300 today, bringing to a close a back-to-school book drive to promote literacy.

"Thanks to the generosity of so many people, students in Du Quoin are going to find their school library stocked with some brand new titles this year," Simon said. "I would like to thank all the people who donated, and to encourage the students to take advantage of it by getting lost in a good book."

Simon's office collected the books during the Du Quoin State Fair, which ran Aug. 22 to Sept. 1, and gathered books from fairgoers. The Lt. Governor's Office has worked directly with volunteers of the Illinois Reading Council's Illinois Reads program throughout the summer to promote books authored by Illinoisans, and to collect the new and gently-used children's books.

"At Du Quoin Elementary and Middle School, it's our goal to create a resource-rich library for all of our students and encourage them to become life-long readers," said Diana Rea, principal of Du Quoin Elementary School. "We sincerely thank Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon and her office for the generous book donations provided to our libraries. We believe, over time, this donation will help hundreds of students improve their reading skills and increase their overall love of reading. Thank you so much for the considerate gift!"

"The Illinois Reading Council is proud to call Lt. Governor Simon an Illinois Reads ambassador. As such, she has helped us to promote reading all across the state," said Illinois Reading Council Past President Tammy Potts, committee chair for Illinois Reads. "With 36 titles by 36 Illinois authors, Illinois Reads has something for everyone, from read-alouds for babies, to interesting and thrilling books for students and seniors."

District 300 students will be getting plenty of use out of the books; as part of a year-long literacy program, students of the middle school are required to have a library book out at all times.

As an ambassador for Illinois Reads, Simon partnered with the Illinois Reading Council to hold the back-to-school book drive at her tents at the Springfield and Du Quoin State Fairs. Visitors could drop off new or gently used children's books, hear Illinois authors read from their works, and also register to win the 36 books selected for Illinois Reads 2014.

For more information about Illinois Reads, please visit www.illinoisreads.org.

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds were joined at their weekly press conference today by Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck to announce the recommendations of the Financial Literacy Work Team. Buck convened the 13-member work team in January of 2014 to ensure Iowa students are learning the financial literacy skills needed for success.

"We know our children need to be financially literate in order to have a bright future and many Iowans, including educators, financial services experts, and elected officials have expressed concerns about the status of financial literacy in Iowa," said Branstad. "I'm pleased the Financial Literacy Work Team has completed its review and offered recommendations for the state to move forward educating our young people on how to make smart, responsible financial decisions."

The work team included representatives from public and nonpublic schools, financial services, higher education and the Iowa Department of Education. The group's recommendations included the following:

1.       Taking a close look at our financial literacy requirement for K-12 schools. This is included in the 21^st century skills portion of Iowa's statewide academic standards. The work team's idea is to make sure the financial literacy component is clear and age appropriate.

2.       More support for schools around putting the financial literacy component of the standards into practice. More support would include providing better, more centralized resources to teachers.

3.       Tap into external stakeholder groups with expertise in financial literacy to assist in professional development trainings for teachers.

4.       Review how school districts approach financial literacy education.

5.       Improving communication statewide to keep a focus on this important issue.

"As former Clarke County treasurer, I understand the importance of financial literacy. I saw how far too many Iowans struggle to understand their rights and responsibilities when it comes to issues like tax payments and license fees," said Reynolds. "Success in the 21^st century requires being financially literate. These recommendations will help us focus on assuring that all students fully understand financial commitments and decisions."

"We must do more to help students understand the power of financial literacy. And given that there's this groundswell of support among stakeholders to be part of the solution, it made great sense to form the Financial Literacy Work Team," said Buck. "At the Iowa Department of Education, we have moved forward by designating a staff member to the issue of financial literacy and we'll work to provide leadership around professional development activities and a central online location for high-quality resources for teachers."

The full report, including the Financial Literacy Work Team's recommendations, can be found here.

But if that's all you do, you may find yourself ultimately regaining the weight you worked so hard to lose. The reason: Weight loss is a matter of lifestyle and, if you don't adopt the healthy habits necessary to sustain your weight loss, you could backslide into overweight and obesity.

Here are some tips aimed at helping you create a healthy lifestyle that will improve your chances for successful weight loss. They might seem like common sense, but many people committed to losing weight neglect these healthy habits and end up struggling to succeed.

1. Watch Your Portions

Portion control is a key challenge to Americans pursuing weight loss. "The best way to control the calories is to go with portion control," says Dr. Gerbstadt. Piling food onto your plate can make you feel pressured to eat it all. Start with small portions, and go back for (a little) more if you're still hungry. Keep in mind that your stomach will grumble early on, until it has shrunk to adapt to the smaller meals you're now eating.

Portion control is doubly important when eating out. "Most people are catching on to the fact that when you eat out at a restaurant, the calories are two to three times what you really need for that meal," says Gerbstadt. "You might get a salad and an appetizer and call it a meal, rather than get a salad and an entrée."

It takes a little while for your body to realize that you've eaten and to stop sending signals of hunger. If you slow down and savor your food, you probably will eat less before your body acknowledges that you're full.

3. Eat Your Vegetables First

Vegetables contain plenty of fiber and bulk but few calories. By eating them first, you might eat less of any fatty or high-calorie items on your plate.

4. Don't Skip Meals

Skipping meals sounds like a good idea, but it actually undermines your weight-loss plan. Your body thinks it is being starved and starts building body fat in an attempt to store energy away for later. On top of that, you're likely to be even hungrier for your next meal and eat far more than you would have otherwise. The best course is to eat three small meals, with two or three small snacks in between.

5. Drink Plenty of Water

Water helps you feel full throughout your day, aiding your weight-loss efforts. Water also provides innumerable health benefits to your skin and your digestive and circulatory systems.

6. Switch to Healthy Snacks

Swap out the high-calorie or high-fat snacks in your diet for healthier alternatives. Fruits, low-fat string cheese, peanut butter, and whole-grain crackers are some good options. Create snacks that combine carbohydrates and proteins, like peanut butter on apple slices, as they will make you feel full longer.

7. Exercise as Often as You Can

Burning calories through physical activity is essential to weight loss. If you don't burn more calories than you eat, you won't lose weight. "People think they're too busy to walk 20 minutes a day or do a little weight training or ride a bike, and then they wonder why they can't lose weight," Gerbstadt says. "If you try to diet without exercise, it just takes that much more effort." Any physical activity, even long walks, will help.

8. Keep a Record

Food diaries are a proven aid to people pursing weight loss. Keep track of what you've eaten and how many calories the food contained. If you also keep a record of your exercise, you can compare how many calories you're burning to how many calories you're consuming.

Healthy and sustainable weight loss does not occur overnight, despite the promises of fad diets. Losing a pound or two a week is normal, and shows that you are adopting weight-loss habits as a part of your lifestyle.