CORRECTED November 9, 7:19 p.m: McNamara and Thomas were incorrectly attributed to being from the Wilmette Township, the Village of Wilmette was incorrectly referred to as the Wilmette Township, and the food drive was referred to at running at New Trier Township Village Hall; the article has been updated to reflect that McNamara and Thomas are from the Wilmette Park District, the Village of Wilmette is not the Wilmette Township, and the food drive is running at New Trier Township.

The Wilmette Park District, Wilmette Public Library, New Trier Township, and Village of Wilmette teamed up on Oct. 30 to host a food drive for community members that rely on the government-run Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Requesting donations from the New Trier Food Pantry’s priority list, the food drive is currently running at New Trier Township, the Wilmette Library, Community Recreation Center, Centennial Recreation Complex (CRC), and Central Station Coffee & Tea.

Since the government shutdown led to eliminating SNAP benefits and later the Trump Administration restoring partial benefits to SNAP users for the month of November, the 1000 New Trier Township residents who are reliant on SNAP now face reduced food stability. Additionally, with multiple holidays occurring in the next month, the New Trier Township Food Pantry must meet a growing food demand during an already-busy season. 

“[SNAP] places more pressure on the food pantry and the vulnerable population in general,” Heather Oliver, the Outreach and Communications Director for the New Trier Township, said. “[New Trier Township is] very dependent on donations and outside support.”

Since the food drive began, the organizers have delivered multiple boxes to the New Trier Township Food Pantry. 

“I came in Monday morning, and there were five book bins, not totes, but book bins full of food from the community. They wanted to participate in helping these people out, and I was amazed,” Marcos Levy, the Facility Manager at the Wilmette Public Library and contact for the food drive, said. “So, for me, it was just refreshing to see that people still care.”

Levy has delivered two van loads of donations to the food pantry this week, and said that when he initially visited the food pantry, “the food was wall to wall.”

The activity at the Wilmette Public Library is similar to other donation sites such as CRC, which has already received a significant amount of food. 

“The response has been amazing,” JP McNamara, the Marketing and Communications Manager, and Lindsay Thomas, the Superintendent of Operations at the Wilmette Park District shared via email. “The donation boxes at the CRC have filled up several times already, and we’ve made a few deliveries to the Pantry. It’s truly been inspiring to see how quickly the community has come together. I’d say it’s the most successful food drive we’ve had in at least ten years.”

According to Oliver, the organizers chose the donation sites because they are conveniently located, inciting more people to stop by. 

However, it’s not just the donations’ quantity that stands out, though, but its quality.

“People were bringing actual things I would buy for my own home,” Levy said.  

The food drive encourages the community to bring items on the New Trier Township Food Pantry’s priority list, including items such as pasta, tuna, salmon, canned chicken, and even hygiene products like toothpaste and mouthwash. All of these items are things that SNAP users will now have to decide between with reduced benefits.

McNamara and Thomas explained that the planning of the food drive began with the Executive Directors of the Wilmette and New Trier Township “discussing a growing need in the community.” Oliver then began work with the other organizers to execute the plan.

All of the organizers have worked independently to contribute to the bigger picture of the food drive: the New Trier Township has delivered boxes of food, the Wilmette Park District has worked on community outreach, and the Wilmette Public Library has managed delivery for the donations they receive.

“We’ve focused a lot on getting the word out and inspiring people to donate,” McNamara and Thomas wrote. “Our Parks Department and the Village’s Public Works team have been picking up and delivering all the donations, so it’s been a great team effort.”

The Wilmette Public Library chose to manage delivering the food they receive in order to make the process smoother.

“It’s better for us, logistically, to handle the food, as far as taking it there and then receiving another, which is part of the bigger picture,” Levy said. “So it’s not like I’m disconnected with the program, but I’m part of the program that we’re making it work for us.”

Additionally, working together, through this food drive, to help the community aligns with the organizers’ missions like the Wilmette Park District’s mission to “enrich the quality of community life by promoting wellbeing, providing exceptional parks and facilities, and offering creative programming for people of all ages and abilities.” 

“Our mission is to serve the community,” McNamara and Thomas wrote. “When New Trier Township reached out about the food drive, it just made sense to get involved. Supporting our neighbors in need is something we’re always proud to do.”

The Wilmette Public Library’s mission also focuses on the community, and is to “[welcome] everyone with collections, resources, and experiences that enrich the lives of individuals and our community.”

For Levy, the library’s mission is partially why he works there.

“One thing about this library is that they really want to serve the community as a whole and since I’ve been here for the past five years this month,” Levy said. “That’s one thing that brought me here.” 

Levy said that he predicts the amount of donations will level out in the coming days after the initial influx of food, but that the library will continue helping with the food drive “as long as there’s a need.”

Similarly, in the future, New Trier Township is open to hosting more food drives for those in need.

“[The food drive] started because of our crisis,” Oliver said. “But, that doesn’t mean it goes away if the perceived crisis is over.”

Oliver also mentioned how the food drive can be a model for other communities to use “on an ongoing basis, not just in times of crisis.”

The Wilmette Park District, too, is open to working on something like a community service project again. 

“When there’s a need in the community, we’re always open to partnering again,” McNamara and Thomas wrote. “This initiative has demonstrated the benefits of community collaboration.”

As for the community collaboration during this food drive, Levy has been anything but disappointed. 

“The compassion that we all have, that I’m noticing, is being displayed,” Levy said. “And the fulfillment of knowing that you’re helping someone able to eat, is more than satisfying; it’s like I’m being part of something greater than myself. And as people continue to give, knowing that it’s not about them, it’s about others, that’s what speaks louder than anything else.”

If you are interested in contributing to the food drive, then you can buy items from the New Trier Township Food Pantry priority list and drop off donations at the New Trier Township Food Pantry, the New Trier Township, the Wilmette Library, Community Recreation Center, Centennial Recreation Complex (CRC), or Central Station Coffee & Tea during business hours. Additionally, the New Trier Township is looking for volunteers to help with sorting and organizing the donations. If you are interested, you can sign up here.