River Bend Foodbank is PGA Tour’s “Charity of the Year”

There are more kudos for the John Deere Classic. That’s after the PGA Tour announced that River Bend Foodbank is the 2011 PGA Tour’s “Charity of the Year.”

The food bank is the largest hunger relief organization in the bi-state Iowa and Illinois area. It distributes 6.3 million pounds of food each year.

The award comes with a $30,000 grant from the PGA Tour to support the expansion of its mobile food pantry into rural areas.

Organizers say they are both grateful and excited from the recognition.

“We hope to be able to feed even more people moving forward,” said Tom Laughlin, executive director of the River Bend Foodbank.

John Deere Classic earns top PGA honors

The John Deere Classic continues to attract positive attention for its annual tournament at TPC Deere Run.

This time, the John Deere Classic earned an award for “Most Engaged Community” during the 2011 tournament. The PGA Tour presented the honors during its Tournament Advisory Council meetings on December 10.

Tournament Director Clair Peterson says it represents all the community involvement during the tournament’s 41-year history.

“We raised $5.3 million for charity in 2011, and in this community that really makes an impact,” he said.

The 2012 John Deere Classic will take place July 9-15 at TPC Deere Run.