Kathy Carlson of McHenry knows how important it is to show her 5-year-old granddaughter the meaning of giving back to the community while she’s still young.
Carlson and her granddaughter, Kira Carlson, were among about 1,000 people who volunteered to help sort food for the Crystal Lake Food Pantry’s annual Community Harvest, held every Thanksgiving morning.
“Her world is all about her, and I want to take the emphasis off of that. She needs to know that giving to others is very important, and this is a good age to start,” Carlson said. “This is the season of love and giving, and [volunteering] takes the emphasis off ‘all about us.’ There are so many needy people, and we need to take care of each other.”
[Aimee Barrows for Shaw Media]
Thursday marked the 27th year of the Community Harvest, where hundreds of volunteers help sort and pack thousands of pounds of food donations for the Crystal Lake Food Pantry.
Once all of the food is sorted and packed, it’s shipped directly to the pantry, where it quickly is shelved for its clients. There also was a second smaller sorting event Thursday morning at the pantry’s new location, 42 East St. in Crystal Lake.
Judy Peliniski, chairwoman of the Community Harvest, said with tears in her eyes that watching the people who give up their Thanksgiving morning to help others makes all of her hard work coordinating the event worthwhile. Last year, Community Harvest netted 73,000 pounds of food, and she said she hopes this year the donations reach 85,000 pounds.
“The pantry serves about 100,000 pounds of food each year, so this is a huge day for us. Last year’s Community Harvest lasted the pantry through August,” Peliniski said. “This gives people purpose. They’re grateful for what they have and wanted to give back on a day when they have such abundance. So many families have made this their Thanksgiving tradition.”
Volunteering at the Community Harvest has been a Thanksgiving tradition for the Shorten family of Crystal Lake. Every year, Mike Shorten and his three daughters (pictured) help sort and pack. He said that the family always looks forward to the event.
“There are people who need food, and we appreciate what the food pantry does to help people in our community who are hungry,” he said.
Okello Aliker (left) recently moved to Lake in the Hills and was looking for a way to get involved with the community. Aliker said he saw the event on Facebook and was excited to help.
“We need to look out for each other and help each other. We need to be thankful for what we have and count our blessings,” he said.
Jamie Marquich of Lake Zurich and her 8 year-old son, Heath, (pictured) have volunteered for five years. She said she wants her son to understand the meaning of helping those who are less fortunate.
“We’re all in this together, and we’re stronger together. Thanksgiving is all about recognizing and being grateful for the abundance in our lives and help[ing] others enjoy theirs,” she said.
Emma Bolanski, 15, and her brother, Alex Bolanski, 17, (pictured) have been volunteering at the event since they were very young. Emma said she always looks forward to the day.
“I enjoy helping our community, and it’s good to see someone’s face light up and to help others,” the Crystal Lake Central High School freshman said. “I like how everyone comes together.”
