13-year-old girl collects five tons of food for Together We Cope

How can a 13-year-old girl collect five tons of food? With a little help from her friends—and family, and at least two schools, as it turns out.

Emiyah Twietmeyer of Tinley Park hosted her seventh annual food drive, collecting 10,424 pounds of food between Sept. 27 and Oct. 7, all of it donated to Together We Cope.

The huge donation is a big jump from last year’s drive. By adding two schools—Prairie View Middle School in Tinley Park and Palos East Elementary School in Palos Heights, Emiyah dwarfed the 3,800 pounds she collected last year.
She began in 2009 with a food drive that collected 500 pounds. The amount increased every year as word spread about the project and more people volunteered to join in, said her mother, Kerri Twietmeyer.

“At first it was close friends and family. Then she joined the Girl Scouts and they became part of it, too. As word spread, we’d talk to sports teams and to more families, inviting them to be part of it,” Kerri said. “I think people would look at her and say, ‘If this little girl can do it, I can do it, too.’”

Volunteers go from house to house not only to hand out fliers (each stapled to a grocery bag), but also to knock on doors, explain the need for the food drive and ask people to contribute. “Last year, we had 55 volunteers who knocked on 500 doors,” her mother said. “This year, we reached out to 700 people.” Emiyah also places collection boxes at local libraries and some churches.

This year, Emiyah drew two new partners. At Prairie View, where she is a student, National Junior Honor Society sponsor Megan Klozik worked with Emiyah on a food drive, collecting 507 pounds. And one of Emiyah’s neighbors, Jolene Laka, said the student council at Palos East could help as well. Those children brought in 3,927 pounds of food.

The flier has a simple message from Emiyah. “I think it is important to help people in need, so I am working with Together We Cope to provide food for families in crisis. If you would like to help, too, here are three ways.”
The note outlined the category of staples that are always needed, such as canned soup, vegetables and pasta; a special call for foods to round out a traditional Thanksgiving meal, like canned cranberries and sweet potatoes; and a special call for “birthday bags” listing everything a family would need, from cake mix and frosting to disposable cake pans.

“I think everybody understands the common need for food,” Kerri said. “It’s a simple thing to give, and everybody has some canned goods in their house. People want to give. And it helps that it’s kids who are doing the asking.”
At Together We Cope, staff and pantry volunteers have come to look forward to Emiyah’s food drive every year. But this year’s sizeable donation took everyone by surprise.

“I have watched in awe how a young girl’s singular effort to help others evolved into a major food contribution. We have never seen anything like Emiyah’s 2015 food drive at Together We Cope,” said Kathryn Straniero, executive director of the Tinley Park-based agency.

“We are extremely grateful to Emiyah and her family for all of their hard work and dedication. One young lady truly has made a difference.”

Together We Cope provides resources to families in temporary crisis in 27 south suburban communities, enabling them to stay in their homes. Of every dollar the agency receives, 93 cents goes to client programs and services. In 2015, TWC received its fifth four-star rating from Charity Navigator for sound fiscal management. For information, visit togetherwecope.org.