Libertyville High School students move 30,600 items in food chain

A human food chain made up of about 100 Libertyville High School students and teachers passed thousands of boxes filled with everything from diapers to macaroni and cheese Wednesday morning.

In all, students loaded at least 30,600 items onto a waiting truck as part of the school's 23rd annual canned food drive.

The donations will be given to the Libertyville Township Food Pantry and the Libertyville-based Maristella organization. Maristella serves homeless women and children across Lake County.

"This was the fifth-highest amount we've collected in the history of the drive," said student council adviser Chuck Beach. "The first year we did this, we collected 500 items. It's come a long way."

Students gathered as early as 6:30 a.m. Wednesday to start the handoffs. The whole process lasted less than an hour.

This year's total was a bit less than last year when the community collected 35,070 items.

Beach said Libertyville High School has a "long tradition of giving back to the community." He said the school is particularly pleased the food will be distributed right here in Lake County.

"We want to meet local needs. It's good for the students to know their work is going to help people right in their own community," Beach said.