Town leaders race to benefit area pantries

The ground rules seemed simple enough: grab as much food made with wheat, soy or corn and get it to the front of the supermarket in 10 minutes.

West Chicago Mayor Michael Kwasman and Winfield Village President Rudy Czech squared off Thursday at a Jewel in West Chicago for National Food Check-Out Day.

The race, sponsored by the DuPage County Farm Bureau, pitted the two town leaders against each other to see who could collect the most food for area pantries.

Both Kwasman and Czech had plenty of supporters cheering them on as the pair darted between the aisles and filled shopping carts with food.

In total, the pair grabbed more than $2,800 worth of food, which will be donated to both the Milton Township Food Pantry and Northwest DuPage Walk-In Ministries.

Czech won this year's friendly battle, grabbing nearly three times as many items. To ensure both agencies get an equal distribution of food, the farm bureau will donate an additional $780 to Northwest DuPage Walk-In Ministries.

"I'm not used to grocery shopping," Kwasman said after the event, cooling off with bottled water. The mayor said he'll donate an additional $100 out of his own pocket for the agency.

Both Kwasman and Czech promised to reprise their shopping race again next year.