In the spirit of service that defines Martin Luther King Day, the Forest Park Kiwanis Club partnered with the PMSA Key Club for a special food drive last Saturday.
The collaboration aimed not only to serve Forest Park community food pantry, but also to connect neighbors by creating a small opportunity to address the greater issues around food insecurity and community well-being.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” The Kiwanis Club tried to answer that call to action with the food drive.
PMSA Key Club members sorted food as it arrived at the community center. 
Households throughout the village stocked the pantry, one bag at a time. 
Henry Wagner collected donations from households throughout the village. 
Kiwanis Club volunteer, Wesley Cannon, undeterred by the cold snap, collected pantry donations from households throughout the village.
“The Forest Park Pantry is stocked year-round by donations from businesses, community members and Kiwanis donations,” said Karen Dylewski, Kiwanis treasurer and community center manager. “Thanks to the good people of Forest Park, we keep the pantry stocked.”
With January’s unpredictable weather, the Kiwanis asked only 1,000 households to participate by asking neighbors to leave the non-perishables in a convenient place for a volunteer to pick up on Saturday morning.
Forest Parkers were generous, and block by block, households together made a huge impact on the community pantry. Vice president of Kiwanis, Julie Thompson, said she was thrilled “the whole bed of my truck was filled with donations — one person even had five bags of food waiting for us.”
The Forest Park Kiwanis Club, known for its commitment to serving children and their commitment to the local community, has a long-standing tradition of organizing events, relied on the students in their sponsored Key Club at PMSA to help sort the food collected.
Members of the Key Club also have been actively involved in several Proviso-area community endeavors, including support of Deborah’s Place, American Cancer Society, PAWS, Coat Drive the community garden in Hillside and other local food pantries.
With the streets being cleared and many sidewalks ready for business, Forest Parkers were able to carry out their good will and help make the event a success. The Mohr Community Center will be able to continue to address the immediate needs of our neighbors and as a community we can be proud of our strength and solidary in the face of shared challenges.