What better place to educate people about hunger than in the classroom? For the entire month of May, Hollander Storage and Moving partnered with one elementary school and one middle school in Chicago to host a community food drive. They also teamed up with Northwestern Settlement to set up donation boxes so that members of the local community could be involved as well. The event as a whole was an immense success. In all, the food drive led to the collection of 640 pounds of food, that's enough to provide 530 meals, for Northwestern Settlement's food pantry. As a thank you to the schools' staff, Hollander Storage and Moving will also be donating 3 new desks to the schools.
Caryn Harder, the Professional Relocation Coordinator at Hollander Storage and Moving, said that the idea for the food drive was actually inspired by one of their mover's children, who attends the elementary school. Harder said that "teaming up with the schools was one way for us to inspire today’s youth to give back to their community" and that "inspiring others inspires us!" It is amazing to see how one idea presented by a child can blossom into a full-blown food drive, one that brings the whole community together.
Harder mentioned that everyone rallied together and the kids maintained their excitement throughout the duration of the drive, as there were some awesome prizes at stake. The partnership with Northwestern Settlement was also very beneficial, as they act as a community center and offer early childhood classes, along with several other enrichment programs, thus adding to the overall educational experience that the food drive offered.
Hollander Storage and Moving was not only able to help fight hunger in their community, but the food drive also acted a chance for them come together, share a few laughs and inspire them to continue giving back. As Harder says, "Generosity is contagious and our mission is to help it spread like wildfire!"
When asked whether Hollander Storage and Moving will participate in more food drives in the future, Harder responded:
"No doubt about it! When we come together as a team and support such a great cause, we feel more complete. We laugh, we have fun and it doesn’t feel like work at all. It is an extremely rewarding experience."
A big thank you to everyone at Hollander Storage and Moving, Northwestern Settlement, Rowe schools, and all of the children, parents and community members that helped to make this food drive such a success! Their efforts helped the 1 in 8 people who face food insecurity in Cook County, Illinois.
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