Diwali food drive collects more than a ton of food for Naperville pantry

The boxes just kept coming.

They contained cereal, pasta, canned goods and other food items, and they were delivered Saturday to the Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry in Naperville.

The donations were part of the second annual food drive run by a consortium of Indian groups in and around Naperville in honor of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

When all the boxes were weighed, organizers found that 2,100 pounds of food had been collected nearly twice as much as last year.

“This is just wonderful,” said Jody Bender, spokeswoman for Loaves & Fishes. “Demand for food is still huge. We had 157 families come in just today. This will be a huge help.”

Aurora resident Naresh Rajanna coordinated this year's food drive, which ran from Oct. 15 through Nov. 15. Collection boxes were set up in Indian groceries and other retailers in the area. Boxes also were placed in select Naperville schools this year.

“We're extremely pleased with the response,” Rajanna said.

Diwali is a five-day festival that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Rajanna said a food drive is a natural fit with the festival, which places the utmost importance on helping one's neighbors. Six organizations helped organize and execute the food drive, he said.

Bender said many in Naperville and beyond continue to struggle in the down economy. Those in need are welcome to visit and register at the food pantry, she said.

With the holidays nearly here, the pantry is looking for donations of items that would be part of a traditional holiday dinner: turkeys, sweet potatoes, stuffing mix, etc. Anyone interested can check out the Loaves & Fishes website, loaves-fishes.org.