Teens want to fill pantry shelves all year long

A group of local teens gathered last week armed with lots of energy and some pretty lofty goals.

Standing in the confines of the Palatine Township Food Pantry, the teens described how they hope to boost donations to the facility, which serves 180 families every month, coming from Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Inverness, Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates, Barrington, South Barrington and Schaumburg.

They even have come up with a name for their new organization: Youth Hunger Opposition in Palatine, or YHOP (which rhymes with I-HOP pancake restaurants).

What they are proposing is to establish a fund to eliminate the food pantry's short falls when food contributions drop off, typically during the summer.

"This will be a fund they can count on during the dry spells," said Kellie Kinsella, a Fremd High School senior who is spearheading the drive. "And they will have enough money to keep fresh items in here."

And not just a drop in the bucket, mind you. These teens seem pretty confident they can raise up to $100,000 by January.

Norma Meehan, food pantry supervisor, commends the teens for their commitment.

"Someone said, 'Hunger knows no season,' and it's true," Meehan said. "While we have some great food drives, there are other times when people are busy and they just don't think of it."

Kinsella first became aware of the pantry's needs as a member of the youth group at All Saints Lutheran Church in Palatine. The teens regularly contribute to the food pantry, but this summer they learned of its dire shortfalls.

Teens in the youth group come from both Fremd and Palatine high schools, and when they began brainstorming, they seized on the perfect launching pad: Friday's homecoming game at Fremd, when the two schools play one another.

"It's the first time in a long time they've played each other for homecoming," said Stephanie Calabrese, a Fremd senior. "They're expecting nearly 10,000 people."

All of which makes their fundraising efforts for the food pantry even more attainable. Look for YHOP members to be collecting donations at all of the entrances on Friday.

Already they have drawn more than 500 classmates to get on board, including members of Fremd's National Honor Society, Students Over Self, student council, the Student Uprising, and the United Clubs of Fremd, as well as Palatine High School's student council.

"People seem to want to help out," said Fremd junior Jamieson Gray. "For one thing, it's the biggest project they'll probably come across in their four years here."

Classmates sense the momentum that is building among young people in the area, to make a meaningful contribution, allowing township officials to provide food -- without interruption --to the families it serves each month.

"To bring Palatine High School into it is huge," Kinsella said. "That's what we envision, is for groups to be working together to make this happen."

Next, they hope to reach out to church youth groups in the area and convince them to hold bake sales to raise money for the fund, before approaching local businesses and private donors.

To find out more about the Youth Hunger Opposition in Palatine project, visit: www.YHOP.org.