Local Teens' Sandwich Squad Marks Four Years Feeding the Hungry
Local teens from Deerfield and Riverwoods created an initiative called The Sandwich Squad which helps feed the hungry. They have packed over 4,000 bagged lunches over the past 4 years!
The initiative began in Spring 2019 by Perry Harig, a Deerfield teen and high school student at Culver Academies. Perry's idea was to help feed the less fortunate, so he gathered friends to pack bagged lunches and delivered them to Catholic Charities North/Northwest Regional Office, 1717 Rand Road in Des Plaines. Nick Bobay, also from Deerfield, then led the initiative with his classmates at both Holy Cross School in Deerfield and School of St. Mary in Lake Forest. The initiative continued to flourish as Nick and Leo Baumann, from Riverwoods, packed 60 bagged lunches monthly during their freshmen and sophomore years. They will continue The Sandwich Squad through their junior and senior years of high school, Nick attending Loyola Academy and Leo at North Shore Country Day School.
Nick and Leo helped hand out lunches in January of this year and saw how important getting a lunch as well as a dinner was to the recipients. They want to build this program and encourage others to join The Sandwich Squad. Their goal is to double the size of the program and feed even more neighbors in need in Lake and Cook counties.
The Sandwich Squad works as a team effort, as volunteers purchase ingredients, pack bagged lunches during the school year, and deliver them to Catholic Charities where bagged lunches are handed out along with hot dinners to neighbors in need.
As The Sandwich Squad expands, Rose Marie Lesniak-Mendez, Catholic Charities' Director of Mission Engagement, sees the impact that this nourishment is having on the people served at this location. She says, "The Sandwich Squad is a tremendous example of young adults showing creativity and dedication in service to people in need. We are immensely grateful to Perry, Nick, Leo and their family members and friends who have joined together in this wonderful initiative over the past four years. We look forward to continuing to partner with them to help those facing food insecurity."
If you or a group of family members, neighbors, parishioners, work colleagues or friends want to become part of this meaningful initiative, or are looking for service projects at the middle school or high school levels, please contact Rose Marie Lesniak-Mendez at rlesniak@catholiccharities.net.
The Sandwich Squad will be featured on the Catholic Charities' weekly radio show, the Voice of Charity. The show will air on Tuesday, September 19 at 8:30am, on WNDZ 750 am.