Elgin's MLK food drive organizers take Dr. King's words to heart with early start

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Food Drive in Elgin once again is coming a few months early, and organizers say King's words are more important than having the event on his birthday.

"The time is always right to do what is right," King once said.

With that message in mind, organizers will hold the food drive from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Gail Borden Library, 270 N. Grove Ave.

"We don't want to wait around in hopes that everything is going to be good in January," said Joe Wars, chairman of the event. "The time is right, right now to help these people that need help,"

This is the second consecutive year the 11th annual event has moved to the fall from its traditional January date. Extra stress on food pantries from the pandemic precipitated the move last year.

Wars said the timing worked out so well that they may keep it this way.

"It was really fantastic," Wars said of the turnout for the contactless, drive-through food donation last year. The collection netted over 4,300 pounds of food and about $2,000 in cash donations.

Again this year, those donating items won't need to have direct contact with food drive organizers - they will simply drive up and pop their trunk, and a volunteer will take the donations.

Suggested items to donate include peanut butter, jelly, canned tuna, macaroni and cheese, pasta, beans and rice, canned fruit, cereal, pancake mix, syrup and canned vegetables. Cash donations also are encouraged.

For every dollar donated, a food bank can buy eight pounds of food via specially negotiated prices, Wars said.

"Plus, it gives the pantries a chance to buy items that they might be running short on," he said.

The food drive is organized by the city of Elgin's Human Relations Commission.