Wheaton parade offers food for thought

There will be bagpipes, marching bands and baton twirling; Corvettes, Cub Scouts and candy.

But shopping carts?

Oh yes, there will be shopping carts.

A company of grocery baskets pushed along by volunteers from St. Matthew United Church of Christ will make its way down Main Street during Wheaton's Fourth of July parade - just like always. The carts will start empty when the parade begins at noon Sunday, and it's up to you to fill them.

The parade, organized this year by Wheaton Park District, will be led by grand marshals Lt. Col. Ed Godfrey and Ruth Carlson.

St. Matthew, at 1420 South Gables Blvd., started collecting cans and cash more than 25 years ago at Wheaton's annual parade and has been going strong ever since. Two area food banks - the Interfaith Food Pantry and the People's Resource Center - will benefit from the donations.

"When you're thinking about the Fourth of July, you're not always thinking 'bring canned food to the parade,'" Bette Klein from the Interfaith Food Pantry said. "If people can take the time to put a few things in a bag and stick it by the door, they can bring it along with them. Any of the donations we can get are greatly appreciated."

With the downturn in the economy has come an increase in need within the community, and St. Matthew is hoping more donations than ever will get tossed into the carts at the parade, which is considered one of the largest in northern Illinois. Home Depot even donated a truck that will drive behind to haul the food once the carts get filled.

In the past 12 months, the People's Resource Center has seen a 20 percent increase in the number of clients it has helped - a huge jump considering the pantry has been around for 35 years.

In May alone the Interfaith Food Pantry served 371 families made up of 1,252 individuals from Wheaton, Winfield, Warrenville, Glen Ellyn and Carol Stream. One Tuesday in June, Klein said workers helped 29 families in just three hours.

Both pantries are in need of basic items such as cooking oil and canned soup. They'll take any non-perishables, though, including canned fruits and veggies, tuna, cereal, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter. Visit peoplesrc.org for a more complete list of ideas.

"Its' a tradition in Wheaton," Travis said. "People just know to bring the (cans). They expect to give them away and they're always prepared."