Palatine Scout plans barbecue meal for hospital workers

A Palatine Boy Scout is leading an effort to make 300 barbecue meals this weekend for front-line workers at Northwest Community Hospital.

James Hoadley of Boy Scout Troop 209 in Palatine, a sophomore at Fremd High School, is organizer of "Operation Peace, Love, and Barbecue" - his Eagle Scout service project that will benefit health care workers at the Arlington Heights hospital.

James will lead a cooking crew Sunday, May 17, at Westwood Tavern in Schaumburg to cook all the barbecue items - pulled pork, spicy chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread and macaroni and cheese - with plans to bring the meals to the hospital on Monday, May, 18.

Because Northwest Community requires donated food to be prepared in a restaurant or commercial kitchen, Hoadley got Westwood's manager to agree to host the cooking.

"In light of the current pandemic, I thought, 'What better project could there be than supporting our health care professionals,'" Hoadley wrote on his GoFundMe page for the event.

"These courageous, selfless and dedicated men and women put their lives on the line every day to save their fellow citizens affected by this terrible virus."

Hoadley has raised more than $5,000 in supplies and donations.