Shopping cart brigade seeks donations, volunteers

Glen Ellyn's OneChurch Precision Shopping Cart Brigade is seeking donations and volunteers to help with its collection for the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry during the village's Fourth of July Parade.

Volunteers from Grace, St. Mark's Episcopal, St. Luke's Lutheran, Faith Lutheran and St. Barnabas Episcopal churches organize the OneChurch Precision Shopping Cart Brigade to march, perform and collect nonperishable grocery donations along the parade route in downtown Glen Ellyn.

The donations go to the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry at Grace Lutheran Church, 493 Forest Ave., Glen Ellyn.

During the 2014 parade, the OneChurch unit collected more than 120 bags of canned food, dry goods and toiletries. For 2015, the goal is 150 bags to be donated to the food pantry.

Volunteers can be people of all ages. Volunteer marchers meet at 10 a.m. July 4 at Grace Lutheran Church to decorate the carts, practice maneuvers and have some fun before heading to the staging area for the parade, which begins at noon. Support truck drivers also are needed for the parade.

Paradegoers can bring bags filled with their donations to the parade and place them in the grocery carts as they march past. Monetary donations are accepted as well.

The Glen Ellyn Food Pantry distributes food and household items to 5,000 families each year. It is supported by private donations, contributions from 16 churches and the work of more than 200 volunteers.

For information, contact shopping cart brigade coordinator Dominic LoGalbo at onechurchparadeinfo@gmail.com.