Return to Headlines

Glen Crest students fight hunger with MLK Day of Service event

Glen Crest Middle School students spent Saturday morning filling bags and backpacks with meals to share with veterans and fellow students who do not have regular access to food. The event was organized by United Cerebral Palsy Seguin of Greater Chicago as part of the service events connected to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Students packing boxes The project began in November, when Glen Crest students traveled to Berwyn Middle School to meet with students and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The students learned about hunger and food insecurity. Students from both schools also made glazed bowls.

On Saturday, January 18, the same group of students and adults gathered to complete their project at Glen Crest Middle School. The students and adults worked together to pack more than 300 breakfast bags that will be distributed to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans. The group also packed 350 backpacks with nutritious food. Social workers in Berwyn and Glen Crest will share the backpacks with students who do not have enough food for the weekend.

“People with disabilities are often perceived as the ones always in need of help, but in reality, they also have the desire and ability to help others and play an active role in strengthening their own communities,” said John Voit, President and CEO of UCP Senguin. “In the true spirit of Dr. King, the Day of Service shines a light on what all people – including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities – can do to love, uplift, and support their neighbors.”

At the end of Saturday’s event, all the volunteers received one of the glazed bowls they made in November- a memento to inspire future acts of service.

The students were joined by U.S. Congressman Sean Casten and Illinois State Rep. Terra Costa Howard, who both helped fill backpacks.

Posted: November 19, 2020