'Mundelein Strong' T-shirts raise $1,050 for food banks

Mundelein residents with a desire to give back partnered with a local screen printer to raise $1,050 in a little more than two weeks.

Martijn Loerakker said the money from the first run of T-shirts and hoodies emblazoned with the phrase "Mundelein Strong" went to local food banks.

"In one way it's not a lot, but in another way it is meaningful to those who need it," Loerakker said Thursday.

He said $300 went to the Fremont Township Food Pantry and $750 went to the program run by Mundelein High School District 120 and The Chapel in Mundelein to provide meals to area students who normally receive free or reduced price lunches at school.

Loerakker said he was driving last month when he saw Ultimate Screen-Printing and the idea struck him.

"I thought it would be an opportunity to put something together," he said.

Matt Hermestross, who runs the company started more than 40 years ago by his father, said he liked Loerakker's idea, and soon they had a design finalized and an online store set up.

Loerakker said his wife, Emily, and their daughter Remy, a sophomore at Mundelein High School, helped get the word out on Facebook.

About 150 orders came in during the first round of sales from March 31 to April 15. Hermestross said the company just finished making all the apparel Thursday and will be getting it out to customers in the coming week.

Loerakker said he hopes there is more demand for shirts so he and Hermestross can reopen the online store. Those interested in buying a shirt can reach out to him at maeloerakker@gmail.com with the subject line: mundeleinstrong.