Palatine Park District Collects 585 Pounds of Food for Palatine Township Food Pantry

With generous donations from the Palatine community, the newly formed Palatine Park District Service Committee collected 585 pounds of food to be donated to the Palatine Township Food Pantry. The Breakfast of Champions Food Drive was held from April 1 through April 14. Donations were accepted in the lobbies of Palatine Park District’s three recreation centers and at Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center. Additionally, the four preschool locations collected donations from their families. The students then participated in projects using the food items including sorting and counting. The committee would like to thank the Healthy Living participants, the Palatine Youth Baseball/Softball families who brought in their donations on picture day this year, and the over thirty staff members at the Park District who made donations to the food drive.

On April 18, members of the Service Committee and PPD staff members Tom Landeck and Fred Keller delivered the donated items to Barbara Walsh, Food Pantry Coordinator at the Palatine Township Food Pantry. After unloading all 585 pounds of donations, the committee then sorted the food, first by date and then by category, helping stock some of the pantry’s shelves.

The service committee is a group of Palatine Park District staff members, volunteers who don’t necessarily have the time, but have the heart, as is depicted on the committee’s new t-shirts. The committee was formed in February 2013 with the idea of giving back to the Palatine community. The goal of the committee is to provide a variety of service opportunities to both staff members and the community throughout the year. Upcoming events include volunteering in June at a race to benefit the Morris Foundation-a group that serves pets with cancer, participating in a pet food drive in September, assisting with cleanup efforts at Margreth Riemer Reservoir on September 28, and creating a new project for the National Day of Service in January. Palatine Park District staff who are volunteering their time as members of the Service Committee include: Donelda Danz, Jean Farrar, Trish Feid, Cristina Lara, Carol Lange, Dan Mangum, Marilyn Pedersen, Christine Rice, and Joan Scovic. Many other Palatine Park District staff members have also volunteered to help with committee projects and events.

The mission of Palatine Park District is to provide a variety of safe, enjoyable and affordable parks and recreation facilities and activities that will enhance the quality of life by promoting good health and well-being for all residents and visitors of the Palatine Park District.