A group of four high school friends are hosting a food drive this weekend to help non-profit, Loaves & Fishes Community Services.
“Over the summer we decided that we wanted to do something to give back to our community,” said Logan Brennan. “We call ourselves the Naperville Hunger Heroes because we live here and we just thought the name was fun and creative and fit our 
purpose in what we’re doing.”
Food Drive
The Naperville North High School rising seniors will be collecting drive-by donations on July 24 and July 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Items can be dropped off at 326 N. Wright Street in Naperville. The group said cash donations will also be accepted.
Some items that are needed include whole wheat pasta, spaghetti sauce, canned fruits and vegetables, unsweetened oatmeal, rice and grains, flour, and sugar.
Helping Others
The group recognized that many people helped during the pandemic when unemployment was high.
“I think now that COVID is kind of letting up, I think people don’t realize that there are still families that continuously struggle even when unemployment maybe isn’t so much of an issue,” said Norah Hess. “Especially as kids are out of school and lunch isn’t provided to them, I think this was really a good moment to emphasize that there’s still people going hungry in low income areas.”
For Peyton Milligan, she’s seen firsthand the help some need. Her mom was involved with Family Connections at Washington Junior High School when she was in middle school.
“She’d organize baskets for Thanksgiving, Christmas. A big meal that families could take home. And just seeing the amount of baskets that were needed kind of gave [me] an inside look because I personally didn’t know anyone that would be eligible for a basket,” said Milligan. “There actually are a high number of people that are struggling and I think it’s important to be aware of it and help them.”
Spreading Awareness
The group hopes that with this food drive, they can spread awareness in the community.
“Honestly Naperville, we’re kind of in a bubble and we always have everything in our hands,” said Sam Falkman. “But being able to go through the process of planning a food drive and seeing how important these food items are to families, I think that would just be a great eye-opener for people in the surrounding area.”
The plan is to see how this drive goes before possibly planning additional ones in the future.
Naperville News 17’s Aysha Ashley Househ reports.
photo courtesy: Peyton Milligan
