Football and food donations go well together in Arlington Heights

Turkey bowl games sprung up across the suburbs on Thursday, as more families incorporated some friendly football action into their annual holiday tradition.

But one recreational game included a cause with its passing downs.

In Arlington Heights nearly 50 players turned out - enough for two games - complete with cleats, sweatshirts and grocery bags filled with food.

That's right. In order to suit up, the prerequisite in this game was to bring nonperishable food items for the needy.

"It's nice to be able to do something like this, giving back to the community, with our kids," said Bob Schultz of Arlington Heights.

Organizer Mark Ivers of Arlington Heights figures the regulars have been gathering to play football for 12 years on Thanksgiving, but it was eight years ago that they added the food drive component.

"The idea just clicked with everyone," Ivers said. "Most of these guys volunteer at PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), so they recognized the need."

Many of the players belong to St. James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights, one of 20 emergency shelter sites in the Northwest suburbs, operated by Journeys from PADS to Hope, based in Palatine.

Volunteers work in shifts to staff the Wednesday night shelter at St. James, where guests receive a hot meal, bedding, access to showers and even a free haircut once a month.

Ivers figures the football game started out with nearly a dozen players their first year, or barely enough players to field two teams. Each year, the numbers keep growing as fathers, with their sons and daughters, bring friends.

"It's just a nice community event," said Jim Hamman of Arlington Heights. "It makes you feel like you're doing good."

This year, their food donations filled 30 bags and the back of a full-sized hatchback car. As an added bonus, Ivers recruited restaurant certificates and other gift items from local merchants to package into raffle prizes.

"All I did was send out letters, but I got a great response," Ivers said. "They were all local businesses."

One of the most generous was Restaurant.com, a national provider of gift certificate savings based in Arlington Heights, that donated $250 worth of restaurant certificates to the cause.

"We were glad to participate in a local cause," spokeswoman Stephanie Kneisler said.

Chances for the prize drawings raised more than $500, which organizers planned to donate to Journeys from PADS to Hope, along with the canned goods, on Monday.

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