Good News Sunday: Palatine residents' 'Feed Chicago' pairs love of cooking with helping others

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald:

Andrew Ellia loves to cook, grill and share food with family and friends. At dinner one night in May, the Palatine resident realized he also wanted to do that with others who are less fortunate.

"I thought, 'When was the last time I gave back to the community? What if there is a way to do this through something I love?'" he said.

Ellia took action. In partnership with his wife, Patricia, he set up a GoFundMe, enlisted the help of a few friends and started a new organization called "Feed Chicago."

The effort (gofundme.com/f/LetsFeedChicago) has raised more than $2,000, delivered food to homeless individuals on the streets of Chicago, and served meals for clients of two nonprofits that serve the city's homeless.

"We drive around, just looking for someone we can help out. We park on the side and someone gets out to hang a bag," he said. "The response is a lot of, 'God bless you.'"

Ellia said he's serious about growing Feed Chicago, which he registered as a nonprofit with the state, and continuing the effort long-term.

For the full story, click here.

StoryWalks brings books outdoors in Elgin

A new program in Elgin makes it possible for kids to enjoy the outdoors and read a book at the same time.

The Elgin Partnership for Early Learning and Alignment Collaborative for Education hosted their first StoryWalk on Thursday at Lords Park. The StoryWalk features a picture book broken down by pages and mounted on metal frames along a path. Kids walk from page to page to read the story. The book is offered in English on one side and Spanish on the other.

"The thing I like about a StoryWalk is that it's an innovative way to explore literature and not just your regular book," said Amber Peters, executive director of EPEL. "It gets you out in nature, which I think is important for kids because you learn through being outside and in the community."

EPEL is a nonprofit organization working to ensure children have access to quality early care and education in Elgin and the surrounding neighborhoods. It partners with other area stakeholders to provide resources, early childhood initiatives, information, and support for families and providers for children younger than 5 years of age.

Four stories were chosen by the Gail Borden Public Library to use on the StoryWalks, each with about 18 pages. Peters said the library chose stories that were culturally and linguistically responsive and inclusive, while offering readers colorful pages to interact with and building critical kindergarten reading skills and boosting brain development.

Peters said StoryWalks is a perfect fit for EPEL's "learning on the go" model.

"These movable story walks allow us to relocate them to different locations during the year," she said. "Anywhere you go, there's opportunity to learn.

For the full story, click here.

Naperville's Loaves & Fishes fundraises to open new Aurora hub

Loaves & Fishes Community Services announced in January that it was acquiring a 30,100-square-foot warehouse building in Aurora.

Plans were to open the building at 580 Exchange Court this summer, but the entire $3.3 million needed to complete the purchase and do interior renovations has not yet been met.

That's why the Naperville-based nonprofit has launched a few fundraisers as part of its overall capital campaign titled "Building for Lasting Impact." As an organization that has provided food assistance and programs teaching self-sufficiency for nearly 40 years, Loaves and Fishes wanted to salute donors with a physical presence to decorate the Aurora building.

The latest fundraising salvo is the "Faces of Compassion" campaign, which Loaves & Fishes launched in July. For a contribution starting at $250, donors can submit a photo of themselves that will become part of a colorful, apple-shaped wall collage.

"It's going to be a cool piece of artwork of people who are supporting our organization and our mission," said Loaves & Fishes CEO and President Mike Havala about the approximately 5-by-5-foot digital art creation.

Currently, Loaves & Fishes serves nearly 1,000 families a week with grocery assistance and self-sufficiency programs involving topics like financial literacy and health benefits. Havala estimates that the new Aurora hub triples the reach of Loaves & Fishes.

"We serve all of DuPage County and part of Will," Havala said. "When we open up the new facility, we'll formally open our doors to a four-county area - DuPage, Will, Kane and Kendall counties."

For the full story, click here.

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