Carol Stream comes together to donate on MLK Day

What are you doing for others? Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. asked that question more than 60 years ago.

On Monday, a group of organizations in the Carol Stream community answered that call.

A Martin Luther King Jr. Day donation parade was held at the Outreach Community Center in Carol Stream. The event - sponsored by the OCC, the village of Carol Stream, Wheaton Christian Center and Our Savior Lutheran Church - collected paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, diapers and baby wipes for local families in need.

Roughly 40 people dropped off items during the hourlong event.

Dina Hilliard, executive director of the OCC, said cleaning supplies and paper products are becoming too costly for families to buy. She said it's easier to find food at area pantries than the items collected on Monday.

It's the 22nd year the groups have organized an MLK Day event. A donation drive was planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In past years, a program was held at the Wheaton Christian Center with singing, speeches and reflection about Dr. King. The program draws around 200 people.

Hilliard said the MLK programs are important to the community, and OCC couldn't pull it off without the help of the village, Wheaton Christian Center and the Lutheran church.

"We want to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King," she said. "And during a pandemic, (it's) all the more reason we need to band together."

Outreach Community Ministries is a family of faith-based organizations serving about 1,500 to 1,600 families a year. It operates centers in Carol Stream, Wheaton, Warrenville, West Chicago and Lombard.

For more information about Outreach Community Ministries, visit outreachcommunityministries.org.