West Suburban Pantry Collecting Thanksgiving Baskets

With only days before Thanksgiving, many are busy preparing menus, shopping for food and making our homes welcoming to our families, but some are still uncertain if they'll eat. That's why, for the 15th year in a row, The is collecting Thanksgiving Baskets to donate to local families in need.

This year, the pantry will address 434 basket requests. That will help 1843 people including 902 children and 81 senior citizens. This number is for Woodridge residents alone.

Collecting baskets began approximately 15 years ago when the pantry was trying to think of ideas of how to do more around the holidays. People sign up at the pantry anonymously, and most are clients of other services the pantry offers.

Donors who want to "Adopt a Family" are asked to put a turkey and all the trimmings into a basket or box. The turkey can be frozen, but it's not recommended to include other frozen foods since they thaw much quicker than the turkey. Besides traditional Thanksgiving items, the pantry encourages other items like peanut butter, jelly, pasta, pasta sauce and things along those lines. Besides food, a holiday table cloth, napkins, a candle, holiday design paper plates and flowers are welcomed.

The pantry's Director of Operations, Roger Schmith, says the baskets provide more than the single day's meal.

"Most families report back that the added holiday basket tides them over during the school break when the children are home," Schmith said.

Schmith estimates the cost of a basket is $50 to $100 depending on the size of the family.

If you'd like to contribute, please bring your basket to , tomorrow (Saturday) before 9 a.m. The recipients will pick up their baskets at 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. If you aren't able to contribute a whole basket, single items are welcome as well like potatoes, fresh fruit and vegetables and turkeys.