Elmhurst Student Joins Efforts With Dozens To Help Needy Families

It took 200 volunteers about six hours to sort, donate, box and transport 850 boxes of food and non-perishable items that will feed thousands for the holidays. An Elmhurst college student was one of them.

Erin Harvey, a student at the said this was her first time at the event, and she was glad to be able to help the poor and hungry.

"I feel sad for them," said Harvey, who has Down Syndrome. "They should have food."

The volunteers came together from various communities, including Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, La Grange and Western Springs, for a 20-year tradition called Harvest Saturday. The event took place at St. John of the Cross Parish in Western Springs.

“It’s meant to support the food pantries right before the holiday push,” said Katie Hayes, director of the high school youth ministry at St. John of the Cross.

Hayes said they discovered that items food pantries need the most are not necessarily food. She said most people don’t realize how much paper products are needed by people on food assistance programs.

“They might have a program that will allow them to buy food, but won’t allow them to buy paper products,” said Hayes. “They might not be allowed to buy toilet paper, paper products that we all take for granted.”

Burr Ridge resident Meghan McAuliffe, a senior at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park was one of the student organizers for the event.  She said they called food pantries ahead of time to prepare for the event, which took three months to plan.

“We wanted to find out what food they’re in need of and what we can help them with,” said McAuliffe.

The food would then be taken to the soup kitchens and food pantries of St. Cletus in La Grange, St. Thomas of Canterbury Parish, Midwest Workers Association and the Port Ministries in Chicago.

At Port Ministries, two things that were needed were granola bars and hot chocolate for the ministry’s evening bread truck, which feeds about 300 people every night.

“As it gets colder, who wants a cold drink when you have no heat? So to have hot chocolate is really important,” said David Krug, director of operations for Port Ministries. Krug estimated the amount of granola bars and hot chocolate donated by the group would feed at least 2,000 people.

The Saturday before the event, volunteers hung flyers on the doorknobs of homes in Western Springs, asking them to put out non-perishable food items that would be collected for donations. The volunteers then drove around to collect the food from the homes and brought the donated items to St. John of the Cross to be sorted, boxed and loaded onto a truck to be driven to food pantries.

“I’m just amazed by how much food, how many people are here today. It’s pretty amazing,” said Lyons Township junior Jackie Zeisloft, who talked about why she gave up a part of her Saturday to help.

“I just hope that people everywhere can have as great a Thanksgiving as I do with my family,” said Zeisloft.

Lyons Township senior Matt Brooks said the event for him is a fun way of giving back to the community.

“I see a lot of people I know, and it’s a social way to volunteer, so it feels good,” said Brooks, who said he was touched by history classes he took at school, which taught him about world hunger.

“Thinking about helping one person specifically is what helps drive you,” said Brooks.

The group set up tables and a makeshift conveyor belt in order to load two 24-foot trucks with donations. They then drove to La Grange and Chicago to deliver the items.  Although dozens of people packed rooms at St. John’s Parish for the event, Katie Hayes said it took a lot more than that to help the event come together.

“We really want to thank the community,” said Hayes. “If it wasn’t for the people who put the food out, we couldn’t do this. It’s their willingness to accept the invitation to help that makes this possible.”

Port Ministries, one of the food pantries that benefited from the event said the efforts of the volunteers have been “an enormous help,” especially as the holidays approach.

“When you see that truck pull up, and they say what they have, it’s like an answer to a prayer,” said Krug.