Donation From Pilsen Company Will Feed More Than 100 Needy Families On Thanksgiving
CHICAGO (CBS) -- More than 145 needy families, most of them from the Pilsen neighborhood, will have Thanksgiving with all the trimmings this year thanks to a local business.
Saturday was pick-up day for the families, some of whom had to struggle to take home all that awaited them, including a 15-pound turkey, stuffing, bread, a 10-pound bag of potatoes, yams, vegetables, fruit and cookies.
Donation From Pilsen Company Will Feed Needy Families
Volunteer Randy Weil said the food goes a long way.
"We feel that there's enough food here to feed a family of 10 in each bag," he said.
He estimated that 800 people will partake in the food over the coming week.
Weil is executive vice president of the Pilsen-based H. Kramer & Co. metallurgical firm. It's the 11th year his company has helped people such as Elia Arenas, who recently lost her job.
"Right now I don't even have health insurance, so it's a great deal," she said. It's very good. God bless everybody who's putting a little bit in for everybody else."
Pick-up was at the community center for St. Pius V Roman Catholic Church, at 1900 S. Ashland Ave. The pastors of St. Pius V and two other Pilsen churches gave H. Kramer & Co. a list of neediest families; volunteers delivered the food to 25 families who were unable to pick it up.
Weil said that H. Kramer takes no donations. He said it is the firm's way of giving back to the community.
