Lake County food drive aims to provide 500 Thanksgiving meals

A holiday tradition to help needy families continued Thursday with volunteers at Lake County Cares sorting and packaging Thanksgiving meals.

This is the 12th year of the Lake Forest-based Thanksgiving Food Drive, which aims to provide 500 meals to eight food pantries in Waukegan, Zion, North Chicago and Shields Township.

"It's driven by local residents," Lake County Cares Executive Director Pam Gracyalny said.

Lake Forest School District 67 was a key contributor, and AbbVie's Emerging Leader Program prepared and donated family activity kits, she said. American Hotel Register Co. donated food, and on Friday more than 30 of its employees will load the meals onto trucks for delivery, she added.

"The demand for Thanksgiving meals is higher this year," Gracyalny said. "Many agencies have lost funding, and more families are being served by food pantries for the first time. Because of this, we are hoping to exceed our target of 500 meals for our neighbors in need."

Food can be dropped off through Friday at GreenTree Animal Hospital, 800 E. Park Ave., Libertyville, or at the Lake County Cares office in the Gorton Community Center, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest.

The most needed items are rice, canned beans, canned fruit, chicken/turkey broth, and cornbread mix. Donated gift cards will be included in the package for recipients to buy turkeys.