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Salvation Army volunteers pack up holiday cheer

Volunteers at the Salvation Army’s Disaster Services Headquarters in Elk Grove Village put in the hard work this week to make the holiday season easier to enjoy for thousands of needy families and individuals in the Chicago area.

Starting Monday and wrapping up Wednesday, the group of more than 200 volunteers packaged more than 10,000 Christmas food boxes containing fresh potatoes, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, yams, gravy and stuffing.

The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division last year served more than 106,000 individuals, distributing more than 30,000 food baskets, 115,000 toys, and more than 41,000 articles of clothing during the holiday season.

Holiday food distributions are supported, in large part, by The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle fundraising campaign. With a goal of raising $13 million, iconic Red Kettles will be on area streets and shopping areas through Christmas Eve.

Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a broad array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

  Volunteer Bob Dolan of Hinsdale, who works for Sprint in the Schaumburg area, packs canned vegetables into food boxes Wednesday as part of an effort to prepare more than 10,000 Christmas Christmas food boxes containing fresh potatoes, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, yams, gravy and stuffing at the Salvation Army’s Disaster Services Headquarters in Elk Grove Village. George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
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