Community Corner
Gift Bags Delivered in Record Time in Oak Park, River Forest
Holiday Food and Gift Basket program get plenty of hands on deck to brighten Christmas for the needy.
Santa couldn't have done better than the effort of dozens of youngsters and adults who volunteered on Saturday to make this year's Holiday Food and Gift Basket program a success.
In just over an hour United Lutheran Church went from being full of gifts to empty.
Vans, sedans—even squad cars—lined up at the Ridgeland Avenue entrance of United Lutheran Church to grab gift bags and head off to deliver a bit of holiday joy to 2,200 individuals in Oak Park and River Forest in need of some help this holiday season.
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Members of the Oak Park and River Forest High School student council, adults, and young kids all helped out, from running bags to the church entrance, to loading cars and driving, said Patty Henek, the program's coordinator.
"It all went pretty quickly," she said.
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The program, which has been around since the 1970s, is sponsored by Community of Congregations, an interfaith group serving the Oak Park-River Forest area.
For more photos and information, go to the program's Facebook page.
