Fox Family
Community Service at a Larger Scale
“Our employees at Cooper’s Hawk wanted to do something more to help those in need…and Honeycomb gave our restaurants an avenue to do so.”
In late 2019, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, was opening a new Chicago location and Area Manager, Eric Fox, had a brilliant idea.
“I was always passionate about community service,” says Eric, “and I thought hey, Honeycomb is hosting a gala and it’ll be downtown near the new restaurant…why don’t we donate our wine?” Eric reached out to Development Manager Timmy Arnold to see how the restaurant might support Honeycomb. Eric ended up contributing twenty cases of Cooper’s Hawk wine for guests attending the Fall Fundraiser held at Moonlight Studios.
Supporting organizations such as StandUp for Kids in Lakeview and The Night Ministry, Eric found another favorite when he started volunteering with The Honeycomb Project. “This wine donation was tied into Cooper’s culture”, says Eric. “And more importantly, Honeycomb was tied into my family’s culture.”
Eric and his wife, Katie, and their three children, Cora (8), Tyler (6) and Scarlett (3) volunteered with Honeycomb before the pandemic. And during, the family rallied around Honeycomb’s Summer Swarm and Grocery Shopping for Seniors. “Cora really wanted to help people,” says Eric. “So we bought groceries and packed them together as a family and I dropped them off.”
He adds, “the special thing about it---is that it rolled over into work…Cooper’s Hawk Team Members were made aware of Summer Swarm and Grocery Shopping for Seniors.” The Cooper's Hawk in Chicago, Wheeling and the Human Resources Team each took a week and had a goal for their Team to raise enough money to provide meals to ten families in need. “Honeycomb has allowed Cooper’s Hawk to do community service at a larger scale,” says Eric, "it brings our employees so much joy.”
Other projects that the Fox Family and Cooper’s Hawk embraced during Covid included making Thanksgiving crafts and holiday baskets for families in need, collecting pajamas and books for Chicago Hope’s in-shelter literacy initiatives and cooking hot meals for youth experiencing homelessness at Ignite’s Belfort House & Youth Shelter.
“Honeycomb connects my children and Cooper’s Hawk guests to our communities and spurs conversations about giving back,” stresses Eric. “It’s important to talk about social injustice and why we need to show kindness…even if it’s for one day.”
The Fox Family resides in Hoffman Estates and keep busy outside of Honeycomb Project events. Eric is an Area Manager for Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants and is completing his sommelier certification. His wife, Katie, is a Disney Travel Agent. Cora loves to dance and was accepted into her local dance company. Younger brother, Tyler enjoys playing soccer and sister, Scarlett aspires to be an Olympic gymnast.