Libertyville Store Donates 1,800 Meals to Food Bank

Kristine Knutson had never heard of Flex Watches until early November 2010.

“My daughter saw this product on MTV and said, ‘Mom, you have to carry this in your shop because it’s right up your alley,” said Knutson, owner of How Impressive!, 326 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville.

Knutson would have ordered the colorful watches for the store sooner but they did not arrive at her store until two days before Christmas.

Flex Watches’ motto is “10 colors, 10 charities, 10 percent.” The brand sells watches with interchangeable bands in hopes of raising awareness through colorful products; each color represents a cause. For example, sales of the pink watch benefits breast cancer awareness, a cause close to breast cancer survivor Knutson’s heart.

“Not only (is the company) giving back nationally, I am also able to make a difference here locally,” Knutson said.

Knutson held a promotional event on Christmas Eve with a percentage of the sale of each watch going to the Northern Illinois Food Bank. She exceeded her goal of feeding 1,500 people and will be writing a check for $300, which will help feed 1,800 people in need.

“We know need is great and grow and that’s why every single donation we get is incredibly important,” said Donna Lake, director of communications at Northern Illinois Food Bank. “Being able to provide 1,800 meals is very important.”

Lake says the food bank’s network partners, since 2010, have seen an increase of between 35 percent and 50 percent in the number of meals needed, largely due to the sluggish economy.

“About 100 new families come in every month and some are saying the food doesn’t get them as far as before,” Lake said.

The increase in need was one of the reasons Knutson was prepared to make the donation out of her own pocket regardless of whether she reached the sales goal.

“That is how strongly I feel about helping the community,” she said.