DUNNING — Eli's Cheesecake lovers who indulged their sweet tooth at Leadbelly Burgers raised $1,500 to help developmentally disabled adults.
Leadbelly, which has locations in Portage Park and Gladstone Park, joined forces with Eli's Cheesecake to create Cheesecake Beignets to raise money for the Sunshine Activity Center, which teaches developmentally disabled adults life-enhancing skills and hobbies.
The Louisiana-inspired pastries used Leadbelly’s secret burger-bun recipe to enclose Eli’s famous cheesecake, which was fried to a golden brown and dusted with powdered sugar.
Half of the proceeds from each order went to the Sunshine Activity Center, 6202 W. Montrose Ave., where Eli's employees have been volunteering for years.
Eli’s Cheesecake, 6701 W. Forest Preserve Drive, matched the $757 donation from Leadbelly, which has two locations, 5739 W. Irving Park Road and 5691 W. Milwaukee Ave.
In July, Leadbelly raised $2,000 for The Gift Theatre, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, with a classic burger topped with ribs from Gale Street Inn and a haystack of fried onion straws on a bed of Sriracha-bleu cheese slaw.
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