Naperville mayor shops dairy aisles for a cause

Naperville Mayor George Pradel dressed in a maroon Jewel-Osco uniform shirt Monday and went on a shopping spree, all for a cause.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m., the mayor had 3½ minutes to go through the dairy section of the Naperville Jewel-Osco, 1227 Naper Blvd., and collect as many products as he could to benefit Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry. Pradel collected three full shopping carts and $797 worth of items, all of which will go to help Naperville-area families in need.

“I couldn’t believe it was that high,” Pradel said after his spree. “I thought I was going to get about $400 or so and it was almost double that.”

The Midwest Frozen & Refrigerated Food Association sponsored and coordinated the shopping spree as part of National Dairy Month. In March, the association organizes another shopping spree with Jewel-Osco and Pradel for Frozen Food Month.

Loaves & Fishes opened in 1984 and serves roughly 2,500 families every month in Naperville and DuPage County. Distribution takes place four times a week, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 2 to 7 p.m. Thursdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Families need a photo ID and a current utility bill when they come to the pantry.

“We help all kinds of people, people who are employed, underemployed, unemployed, seniors, families and about half the people we help are children,” said Jody Bender, community relations director at Loaves & Fishes.

Bender said Loaves & Fishes is grateful for the help, especially in the summer.

“Especially this time of year when the kids are off school,” she said. “We’re always a little low right now because the kids do need extra. They’re not getting their school food.”

Store manager Rodd Bartemeyer said his Jewel-Osco tries to do a celebrity shopping spree once a year to benefit those in need.

“Loaves & Fishes is a pantry from the area that we do support quite a bit,” he said. “We give back to the community quite a bit in a lot of different ways, and this is just one of those.”

Pradel said he likes Loaves & Fishes because shoppers have the freedom to pick out items they want and are in an environment where they won’t be judged if they are going through tough times.

“My main concern is that children will have something to eat,” Pradel said. “Everything we had is pretty nutritious and it’ll make for some good meals. It’ll make somebody’s stomach a little bit fuller with the economy that we’re going through right now.”