Kendall County Food Pantry Receives Record Donation from District 308

OSWEGO, IL — Community Unit School District 308 continues to set new record highs in its fight to alleviate hunger in the communities it serves.

Over the last couple of weeks, the district collected over 113,181 items, shattering last year’s record donation to the Kendall County Food Pantry of 85,000 items, according to a news release from the District. In the district-wide drive’s inaugural year, District 308 schools collected 58,000 items to be donated to the food pantry. The results of this year’s donation were announced at halftime of the Crosstown varsity football game on Friday, September 30.

“Part of our responsibility as the local school district is to give back to the communities we serve,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Sparlin in the release. “We are extremely proud of this year’s efforts by students, parents, and employees within the district. This was a team effort, and I am thrilled that each year, we continue to collect more items for local families and people in need.”

Of the district’s 22 schools, Churchill Elementary led the donations with 16,775 items. Principal Tammie Harmon accepted the trophy during the halftime ceremony. Murphy Junior High and Oswego East High School (OEHS) also received awards in their individual school categories for collecting 3,915 and 5,998 items, respectively.

In 2014, the district combined the individual efforts of its 22 schools into a district-wide food drive to help the Kendall County Food Pantry. The timing for the food drive was selected to give the pantry a boost going into the holiday season, a time of year when demand is particularly high.

The decision to consolidate the individual school drives into one district-wide effort has resulted in the largest donations ever provided to the food pantry for three consecutive years. The drive is also used as an opportunity to teach students about hunger and poverty, which adds to its success.

Kendall County Food Pantry Director Tandy Pinter said the pantry was grateful for such a large and generous donation of food and household items. She estimated that the food might feed around 4,500 people for the next six months.

“This is such a wonderful blessing to have the school district come together and do this for those in need,” she said. “It will significantly change lives for the better. It is great for those who will receive the items, but it is also great for the volunteers to see all of the support we are receiving. It gives all of us goose bumps.”

photo via School District 308