State Representative Dave Vella

09/03/2026

Community organizations like Empower Boone Food Pantry play a vital role in ensuring our neighbors have access to nutritious food and support. Today, I had the opportunity to visit Empower Boone and contribute to their Leadership Academy Capital Campaign. I’m grateful to have made a small impact toward this effort.

Donations will address the pantry’s immediate need for a new walk-in freezer, allowing them to safely store more food and serve even more families in our community.

Investing in organizations like Empower Boone is an investment in the health and well-being of our neighbors. Thank you to everyone who helped make this campaign a success and to the dedicated staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to fight food insecurity every day.

If you’d like to support their mission, I encourage you to consider making a donation or volunteering your time. And if you or someone you know needs food assistance, Empower Boone is here to help. *Food distribution is every Tuesdays from 8 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

09/03/2026

My office is excited to Join Sisters By Love this upcoming Saturday to help bring awareness and prevention services to our community. This is a great opportunity to meet organizations who are ready to provide support.

🚨 YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS SATURDAY! 🚨

Join us for the Community Health & Hope Fair on Saturday, September 5th from 11 AM–3 PM at the Community Life Center of Rockford! ❤️

We’ll have health education, community resources, FREE confidential rapid HIV testing, giveaways, food, family activities, and so much more!

🎟️ PLUS — WE’RE HAVING A RAFFLE! 🎟️

You’ll have a chance to win some AMAZING prizes, including:

📺 32” Flat Screen TV
✈️ $250 Airline Voucher
💆🏽‍♀️ Massage or Facial at Massage Envy
💆🏽 Massage at Circles of Wellness
🎁 AND MORE!

Raffle Tickets:
🎟️ 1 ticket — $3
🎟️ 6 tickets — $5
🎟️ 15 tickets — $10

There is NO LIMIT on how many times you can enter, so grab as many chances as you’d like! 🙌🏽

❤️ 100% of raffle proceeds will support Sisters by Love, NFP and our work creating pathways and opportunities for women returning home from incarceration.

Come out, bring your family and friends, learn something, connect with community resources, and you just might leave with a new TV, a trip, a massage, or another great prize! 🎉

📅 Saturday, September 5, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM–3:00 PM
📍 Community Life Center of Rockford

Come for the resources. Stay for the fun. Leave with HOPE! ❤️

09/02/2026

Investing in our most valuable services in our community is a priority of mine. Working with Community Foundation of Northern Illinois has been a huge success. Thank you to Director James and team for ensuring the Rockford Family Peace Center received these funds.

The RFPC stretched that $150,000 pretty far:
- Security and/or privacy film on every window in the building
- $22,500 for design/engineering
- $22,500 for construction management
- A replacement awning for the main entrance (including related permit fees) and new exterior business identification and directional signage
- ADA accessibility pre-assessment
- Project management software
- $45,274.08 toward one new HVAC rooftop unit
- Interior window coverings (roller shades) for all of the east-facing windows

Illinois State Rep. Dave Vella and the Community Foundation worked to secure $150,000 in federal grant money for the Rockford Family Peace Center.

09/01/2026

♻️📄 SAVE THE DATE Super Shred & Recycling Day - October 3, 2026!

It’s time to clear out those old documents and unwanted recyclables! Join us for the 2026 Super Shred & Recycling Day in partnership with Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful and CPM Recycling Services Inc!

We’re still finalizing event details, but here’s what you can expect:

🔒 Secure Shredding: On-site shredding will be available until the shred truck reaches capacity. We’ll continue collecting paper after that, with all additional paper securely shredded at CPM Recycling.

♻️ Recycling: We’ll also have recycling opportunities available to help keep unwanted materials out of the landfill.

Stay tuned for accepted items and additional details. We’ll share more information as soon as everything is finalized! In the meantime... mark your calendar and start gathering your unwanted paper documents! 🗑️📄♻️

08/30/2026

🎂 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOAN 🎂

Please join me in saying Happy Birthday to Joan. She is my amazing District Office, Head of Marketing/Outreach.

Little facts about Joan 😊🙌🏽
- Loves Fried Dumplings
- Pink is her color
- Sushi and Ramen
- Loves a good specialty cold coffee

May you enjoy your day and wishing a joyful Sunday. Happy Birthday 🎈🎂🎁

08/29/2026

Small businesses are the heart of our communities. This week, I was proud to meet Omar Rodriguez, owner of VZ Fades Barbershop, and formally welcome him to the Illinois 68th District. 💈

Omar is a dedicated small business owner and local entrepreneur who turned his passion for barbering into an opportunity to serve his community. Through VZ Fades, he not only provides quality services to his clients, but also creates opportunities for other barbers and serves as a mentor to aspiring professionals looking to build their careers.

Omar’s hard work, self-motivation, and commitment to growing his business are a great example of the entrepreneurial spirit we see throughout our community. I stopped by to meet Omar, learn more about his journey, and formally welcome him to the 68th District with a certificate from the Illinois House of Representatives recognizing his contributions to our local economy. It was an honor to recognize Omar’s contributions as a local entrepreneur and celebrate his investment in our community.

Congratulations, Omar, and thank you for investing in our community! 💈👏

Fades Barbershop

08/28/2026

Thank you to Corrugated Metals, Inc. in Belvidere for welcoming me this week and giving me the opportunity to tour their facility! It was a great experience learning more about their manufacturing process and the incredible work happening right here in our region.

Corrugated Metals, Inc. offers custom metal roll forming and corrugating for a variety of materials including galvanized steel, weathering steel, and aluminum. The company is trusted across industries to manufacture heavy-gauge, extra-wide corrugated roofing and siding materials for industrial, commercial, and architectural projects.

I truly appreciated the opportunity to visit and learn more about the people and processes behind locally made products.

08/28/2026

🏡 New homes are coming to Rockford! 🏡

Greenway Meadows is a new 40-home subdivision that’s helping meet our community’s housing needs.

08/28/2026

I had an amazing time bringing books to Belvidere School District 100 classrooms and welcoming new teachers this week! 📚✨ There’s nothing like helping educators build their classroom libraries and getting books into the hands of our students. I’m so excited to support these new teachers as they begin the school year and create inspiring spaces where students can fall in love with reading! ❤️📖

Special thank you to anyone who has donated books towards this initiative!

08/27/2026

Illinois House Dems continue to fight for a responsible and affordable future. Our latest fiscally and socially responsible budget has earned Illinois its 11th credit rating upgrade since 2021, and brought us to an A1 rating—achieving our highest ratings in nearly 15 years.