The Holiday Food & Gift Basket's Helping Hands

The Holiday Food Gift Basket program can't happen without dedicated volunteers. Dozens of people of all ages come out to help bring a bit of cheer to others.

We thought it might be a good idea to show you who's making it happen. We begin this week with the dedicated women behind the annual program, the unsung heroes who sort paper, organize folders, track donations and generally provide the backbone for the entire operation. What has volunteering for this program done for them?

Kathy De La Cruz: "This (effort) gives some perspective on your own life when you see the kinds of things folks ask for, like paper towels, toiletries, white socks, the simplest things in life. It makes your worries seem pretty darn small," said De La Cruz of Arlington Heights, who got involved two years ago through her friends Mary Jane Welker and Valerie Woods, who also help out with the program.

Nikki Schneider: "It gave me awareness of what's going on here. I was surprised to see there were such people in need, right outside my own back door," said Schneider, an Oak Parker who's volunteered for at least five years. "It motivates me. A lot of my day is self-serving but doing things like this is fulfilling...it gives me purpose."

Holly Economos: "I saw the reaction of my children (Teddy and Lucy) when we delivered and how happy it made them to give to other people...It brought up a lot of questions (why the man didn't have any family), which was a good thing for me and my children (to talk about)," said Economos, a resident of River Forest who has volunteered about four years. "A year later we delivered to kids who went to their own school and were friendly with them. It helped make Teddy understand that not everybody (in River Forest) is well-off. It could be someone sitting right next to them. It made it all real. This is a wonderful thing."

Mary Jane Welter: "This is a great opportunity for me to give back to the community," said Welter, a River Forest resident who has volunteered for about seven years. "The families are so grateful, this opens kids' eyes to how they can help out. This gets into your system."

If you're looking to volunteer with the program, you can help out.