Couple shows you can make your next party, a pantry party

Try to keep up with Fred Alopogianis this week and you'd better hold on to your hat. He's whirling through the days, overflowing with good will and joy.

"We're busting at the seams here," the West Dundee resident chuckled, his words flying fast in the scramble to get ready for a party that truly captures the spirit of the holidays.

Some years back, Fred and Cheryl, who used to live in Algonquin and Lake in the Hills before making their way to West Dundee, turned their annual Christmas party into a fest to fill up the local food pantry shelves. From the initial seven or eight guests, it grew to 20, 30 and about 85 last year. This year promises to be even bigger with dozens of people promising to join the fun -- and, even more importantly, bring food.

That's food for the needy. Instead of guests bringing a "dish to pass" they bring boxes and cans of non-perishable food to be donated to the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Food Pantry.

"The response was overwhelming," Fred said of last year's effort, when it took a truck to take the haul to the pantry.

During a time when gas prices, the war, unemployment, inflation and, now, the mortgage mess are making life so challenging for many, Fred said they just want to make sure people in need can get some help.

"I've seen those shelves empty," he said. "We're doing this until we die."

He's hoping you and yours will consider starting your own "fill the pantry" parties.

"The whole purpose of doing this is to pass the word around and get other people to do the same thing. Numbers are powerful," Fred said.

They sure are. Let me know if you start your own "fill the pantry" party. Or, if you prefer, drop your food donations to Fred and Cheryl at 2716 Oak Drive in West Dundee.

Tree topper

Lake in the Hills folks are also doing their part. They donated more than 900 items for the pantry during the sixth annual Festival of Trees event last Saturday. You can contribute as well by stopping by Village Hall to cast your "vote" for the best tree with your donation before Dec. 21. You know -- pick a tree, fill a tummy.

Heart dropper

It's a festive time for many, these days of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa celebrations. But for those who have suffered loss, these days can instead be wrenching.

Patti and Larry Hall of Lake in the Hills asked me to invite you to join in a special memorial to those who have lost a child. It's been four years since they lost their daughter, Colleen, 19, to an acute asthma attack. They have found solace through the McHenry Chapter of the Compassionate Friends, a support group for parents enduring such awful loss.

They will light candles Sunday at the First United Methodist Church, 236 W. Crystal Lake Ave. in Crystal Lake as part of a worldwide candle lighting to remember. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. with the candle lighting at 7 p.m. You are welcome to join them.

Coping

The Halls' request made me wonder if any of you have suggestions for those dealing with any type of grief during this time where everyone else seems so filled with joy. Is there something you or your family has done that made this season more gentle when grief colors all? Please call me at (847) 931-5725 or e-mail amack@dailyherald.com. Please mark those e-mails "Holiday help." Thank you for sharing.

For the birds

Regular readers know my colleague, photographer George LeClaire, loves birds. Well, between George's somewhat fickle nuthatch, my goofy hawk and plenty of reader response, we have no doubt birds of a feather flock together -- but we still don't know quite why they come and go like they do.

After George's recent story about how to feed nuthatches from your hand -- really! -- was featured on our Web site, many of you shared your bird stories as well. I, of course, then jumped in with mine since a small hawk had recently surprised me and my beagle by sharing our backyard birdfeeder with a number of sparrows and finches. George tells me his hawk visitors would have eaten the sparrow, not the seed. I was just glad he didn't want the beagle.

Anyway, many of you wondered why those red-breasted nuthatches, which aren't normally seen in such numbers around here, had flocked into your backyards, then almost disappeared overnight. I said they knew an ice storm was coming, but that didn't seem to fly with real birders. George had learned the initial visit was, in part, due to a bad growing year and few seeds in Canada where they usually hang.

But, so far, we haven't learned why they flew the coop of late. Does anyone have a theory to top my birds of a feather flee bad weather scenario?