Plainfield Residents To Host Food Drive For Micropantries

PLAINFIELD, IL — Longtime Plainfield residents, Rhonda Tuminello and Melissa Vidito, are hosting a drive-thru food donation event on Saturday, May 9, to collect items for over 70 micropantries across Illinois.

Vidito will park her truck at the C.W. Avery Family YMCA from 10:00am-2:00 p.m. and participants are asked to load the trunk of their cars with non-perishable food items that have not passed their expiration dates, and drive up to the donation site. Tuminello will unload the items and people are requested to stay in the vehicles to comply with the state’s social distancing orders. Other than food, they will also collect hygiene products such as diapers.

These enterprising women are the creators of MaverickRx, a YouTube channel that inspires viewers to live a healthy, balanced life on their own terms.

"The channel is basically us kind of living our lives out loud on our own terms and trying to promote that to other people. And we've done that through our passions for faith, family, fun and fitness," Vidito said. "Our mission is to encourage others to live their best lives."

During one of their shows, a guest they interviewed talked about what she had been doing to spread joy and kindness, and one of the things her church did was stock a micropantry. Tuminello said they decided to “try to fill more than one pantry”.

She said the Plainfield Police Department green lighted this initiative because everyone is appreciative of the help they are providing to the community in such dire situation.

"The response we have been getting on Facebook has been overwhelming, and we don’t know how many people will show up," Tuminello said. "This is our thing. We have been trying to spread kindness right now."

Prior to this, they honored healthcare workers at the Edward Outpatient Center in Plainfield and the Edward-Elmhurst Health Center in Naperville, with gift cards donated by members of various communities.

"Our aim was to collect 60 gift cards, but we ended up with 145," Vidito said. "I feel like people need to feel useful and these initiatives give them a way to help and makes them feel like they are contributing during such a stressful time."

For their next drive-thru event, they are planning to partner with the Guardian Angel Community Services in Joliet to collect donations for victims of domestic abuse.

"Most people can appreciate working for a mission, and when you are experiencing this type of stress, driving towards that mission feels good," Vidito said.

Tuminello added: "They know in their hearts it is the right thing to do and is a positive use of their energy. That is what we encourage. People should contribute and lift their own spirits in the process."

For more information on future events and initiatives, visit here.