Volunteers take action to fight hunger

On the longest day of the year, a dozen volunteers took a few minutes to deliver food for needy Elgin families.

Saturday was the United Way's first National Day of Action, which calls on United Way chapters across the country to help their communities on the summer solstice -- the day of the year with the most sunlight.

"We hoped that everyone could carve out a little bit of their time to help people less fortunate," said Diane O'Connor, director of community impact for the United Way of Elgin.

The Elgin chapter spent Saturday morning delivering more than 250 bags and large boxes of food to three food pantries in Elgin: the Salvation Army, Centro de Informacion and the Community Crisis Center.

Food pantries often run low on food during the summer and rising food and gas prices have made the need for food aid more acute, O'Connor said.

"We thought this was a good fit for the United Way to help local food pantries stock their shelves," O'Connor said. "We want to ensure that no one in Elgin goes to bed hungry."

To collect donations for the food pantries, the United Way of Elgin held a food drive this month. Dozens of local businesses and residents donated everything from tuna to cereal.

"I was very impressed," O'Connor said. "The generosity is overwhelming."

The United Way plans to make the National Day of Action an annual event held on the summer solstice, O'Connor said. Each chapter can choose a different service project each year.

"It depends on what the needs are at the time," O'Connor said.

Local residents in need can walk into any of the three food pantries listed above to pick up food. The pantries can also provide other resources to help people get affordable food.

The United Way of Elgin runs 25 programs that aid the community, focusing on helping kids to be successful in school and making sure families can pay their bills.

To find a volunteer opportunity in Elgin, visit the United Way of Elgin's Web site at www.uwelgin.org.