How 1 equals 8: Oswego schools, Servbank food pantry drive begins this week

Collection for the 11th annual Oswego School District 308 and Servbank Food Drive for the Kendall County Community Food Pantry will soon be underway. The food drive will officially begin Oct. 15 and run until 4 p.m. Oct. 23. Online donations can be made starting Oct. 14.

Although the pantry accepts nonperishable food donations, it encourages monetary donations, which can be made through PayPal or a check made out to the food pantry. Cash donations go further than physical items, as the food pantry’s connection to the Northern Illinois Food Bank allows the food pantry to supply $8 worth of groceries for every $1 received.

Alex Hurd, executive director of the food pantry, said the Oswego schools food drive is the organization’s largest drive of the year. Last year, the schools donated 266,839 items – both physical and cash equivalent.

“It’s an opportunity to make the community aware of what we do and who we help,” Hurd said in a news release. “The person you are helping may be sitting next to you in your classroom and you wouldn’t know it.”

Each year, Oswego schools challenge themselves to collect more donations than the previous year. In addition, the buildings engage in amicable competition against one another to see who has the most growth from the year before and who collects the largest amount of donations per student.

The winners will be announced at halftime of the 20th Annual Crosstown Challenge Football Game between Oswego and Oswego East high schools at Oswego East on Oct. 25.

In the past 10 years, the district has provided over 1.8 million items for the KCCFP, helping to tackle local food insecurity.

“This year, we will likely surpass a total of two million items collected for the pantry,” district superintendent Andalib Khelghati said in the release. “What an incredible way to help the pantry with its mission and greatly impact our community.”

If individuals choose to contribute physical items, it is suggested they consider buying personal care items or pet food, which cannot be purchased by the pantry but are needed by their clients. Purchased goods can be brought to each school building from Oct. 15 through Oct. 23.

The Kendall County Community Food Pantry serves approximately 450 families each week out of its main food distribution center in Yorkville. This is a significant increase from two years ago, where this location fed an average of 180 families each week.

In addition, the food pantry’s satellite location in Oswego serves an estimated 100 families each month, while the site in Plano serves an estimated 80 families each month.