Help United Way stock food pantry shelves
You'll never find them in the Vegas sports book, but the Aurora Interfaith and Kendall County food pantries stand to be the biggest winners this weekend.
The Fox Valley United Way is teaming up with six area grocery stores Saturday in the national "Souper Bowl of Caring" food drive.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, dozens of student volunteers from area high schools will be outside grocery stores seeking food and cash donations.
Participating stores include the Jewel at 1157 N Eola Road, Aurora; Jewel at 1952 W. Galena Blvd., Aurora; Jewel at 24 E. Veterans Parkway, Yorkville; Super Mercado El Guerro at 30 N. Root St., Aurora; and the Country Market in Montgomery.
The students, who will be manning soup pots and shopping carts at store entrances and exits, are volunteers from East Aurora, Oswego and Yorkville high schools and Marmion Academy.
"Saturday is proven to be a big day for people to be out shopping and stocking up for their Super Bowl parties," said United Way Director of Administrative Affairs Deborah Collins. "We're just asking them to pick up something extra for the less fortunate while they're inside shopping."
Last year, despite single-digit temperatures, the Fox Valley branch collected 785 bags of food and more than $1,700 in cash donations.
This year officials hope to collect even more to give to the Aurora Interfaith and the Kendall County food pantries.
Needed items include non-perishable cereals, boxed pasta, canned or packaged soups and chili, rice and instant potatoes, and paper goods.
"Everyone had parties last year because the Bears were in Super Bowl and that helped a lot," Collins said. "We hope that doesn't hurt us this year. Hopefully enough people will be excited this year to see if the Patriots go all the way."
She said January and February are often taxing times for local food pantries as they run out of the increased donations from November.
Founded in 1922, Fox Valley United Way provides funds to 58 local social agencies in Aurora, Big Rock, Bristol, Hinckley, Little Rock, Millbrook, Montgomery, Mooseheart, North Aurora, Oswego, Plano, Plattville, Sugar Grove and Yorkville.
If you go
What: Fox Valley United Way will be outside grocery stores collecting cash and nonperishable items for the national Souper Bowl of Caring to re-stock area food pantries.
Where: Student volunteers will collect donations at the Jewel at 1157 N Eola Road in Aurora; Jewel at 1952 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora; Jewel at 24 E. Veterans Parkway in Yorkville; Super Mercado El Guerro at 30 N. Root St. in Aurora; and the Country Market in Montgomery.
When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Info: (630) 896-4636 or visit http://www.uwfoxvalley.org