Ottawa group to collect food items Sept. 23 at Kroger to donate to students

Feed His Children helps more than 600 students in 30 schools across the Illinois Valley

Philip Marruffo Zoey Colglazier, a fourth grader at Jefferson School in Dixon, scopes out jelly for her peanut butter and jelly sandwich before school Friday morning. Zoey makes her cold lunch on the days when she does not like the hot lunch the school offers. — Feed His Children is hosting a Pack the Pickup fundraiser 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at Kroger, 2701 Columbus St., Ottawa. (Philip Marruffo )

September 22, 2023 at 5:15 am CDT

Feed His Children is hosting a Pack the Pickup fundraiser 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Kroger, 2701 Columbus St., Ottawa.

Feed His Children is an Illinois Valley organization that provides supplemental groceries to more than 600 students in 30 schools bi-weekly. The group is celebrating its 10th anniversary this school year.

Feed His Children will be handing out inventory lists so donors can stop into Kroger and buy the group’s needs, or people can drop off already bought food items. Donors also can donate money. that will go directly to buying food for the students.

“We are at our highest student bag count ever, and costs of groceries are at the highest they’ve ever been,” said Whitney Flach, Ottawa Feed His Children director. “This fundraiser is the only one we do in the community to help collect food donations to stock our shelves.