4 years and thousands of pounds of food later, Algonquin boy is determined to do even more for local pantry

Four years ago, Leo Bonilla, a student at Neubert Elementary School in Algonquin, saw a TV news report of people waiting in long lines for food during the COVID-19 pandemic. He took his change jar of $22 and raised $100 with the help from friends and family for his school food pantry. Now in his fifth year of fundraising, Leo has collected thousands of dollars and pounds of food for the D300 Food Pantry.

“The more I learn about it, the more I grow passion for it,” he said.

Over the past four years, Leo, now a fifth grader, has raised about $7,500 and collected 5,300 pounds of food, his mother Casey Bonilla said. Leo raised $2,200 last year and hopes to raise $3,000 this year, he said.

His growing ambitions come after his school was awarded the D300 Food Pantry Hunger Champion Award in October after collecting over 10,000 items of food. Leo’s neighborhood alone collected over 3,500 food items in April. The achievement is even more remarkable because Neubert has less than 500 students, while other competing elementary schools in Algonquin-based Community School District 300 have over 1,000 students, Casey Bonilla said. Leo was also granted the “Hunger Hero” award in 2022.

“I haven’t heard of another kid that does what he does,” Casey Bonilla said.

D300 Food Pantry, in Carpentersville, serves the school district community but is independent and completely run by volunteers. The pantry was collected over 400,000 pounds of food last year.

Leo’s efforts help the pantry grow, especially as it is now open two nights a week to serve the increased demand, adding more slots and serving 180 to 190 families a week, said Chuck Bumbales, the food bank’s board vice president and volunteer facilities manager.

“The demand has gone up a good amount in the last six months, even,” he said. “With the size of the pantry and trying to keep the shelves full, we’re getting to the end of the reality of what we can provide beyond that 180 [families].”

D300 Food Pantry has been able to expand its cold storage with two new freezers and a walk-in refrigerator with the help of donations. Along with the demand comes an increased need for volunteers, Bumbales said. The pantry can accommodate groups of employees and high school groups and are always looking for drivers, he said.

Leo’s online fundraiser for the D300 Food Pantry can be found here: Bit.ly/LeoD300FoodPantryFundraiser. So far, Leo has collected $1,775. Those dollars go further with the pantry because every $1 donated equals $8 worth of food the pantry can buy through the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Leo is “just so dog-gone humble,” Bumbales said. “It’s been a joy to work with them.”

The pantry is also hosting a holiday fundraiser with Toys for Tots and Sandy’s Stockings to provide toys and gifts for District 300 families who use the pantry.

Leo also volunteers at the pantry, and his favorite part is stocking the shelves and helping people, he said. Next year, he will be be moving onto Westfield Community School and hopes to continue fundraising and inspiring other students to join in.

“I try to get everyone else to do it, too,” he said.