Local group donates $3,000 to Des Plaines Food Pantry
Traditionally, December is a month when the young members of the Society of the Danube Swabians meet to practice singing German Christmas carols and brush up on the folk dances that they will perform at various functions throughout the upcoming year.
This year, the Society of the Danube Swabians invited Debra Walusiak, executive director of the Des Plaines Food Pantry and Self-Help Closet, to join them for their annual Christmas party, held on Dec. 10 at the group's facility at 625 Seegers Road, Des Plaines.
Walusiak was presented with a check in the amount of $3,000 at the get-together. In addition to the monetary donation given to the food pantry, each child and teen from the society's children and youth folkdance groups brought nonperishable food items and wrapped gifts for families who are experiencing a time of need this holiday season.
This is the seventh year that the Society of the Danube Swabians has sent sizeable donations to the Des Plaines Food Pantry and Self-Help Closet.
Close to 700 pieces of non-perishable food was collected at the Christmas party, along with a dozen family gifts and more than 81 wrapped presents that many of the children chose themselves to give to boys and girls their own age who may not otherwise receive a gift this holiday. The board of directors are very proud of its children and teens, because they understand that many families are having a difficult time putting food on the table this year.
Although the Christmas season brings in the greatest quantities of food items, the Society of the Danube Swabians has large red bins set out in its vestibule year-round to collect nonperishable food items for the Des Plaines Food Pantry. Volunteers transport the donations to the Food Pantry on a regular basis. The next push for the ongoing collection effort will happen in February.
The society has found that nonperishable supplies at the food pantry fall to a very low level during this month.
The Society of the Danube Swabians is principally organized for charitable purposes. Being that the founding members of the society were poor German immigrants who had been given an opportunity to come to the United States for a better life, it became the mission of the Society to provide supervised program activities for the children, youth, and senior citizens of the community, as well as reaching out to the community at large. Children from the ages of 3 to 13 can become members of the children's folkdance group; young adults from 13 until 22 are able to join the youth folkdance group.
Information about upcoming events can be found on The Society of the Danube Swabians' website at: www.donauchicago.com