Eye-catching display in Chicago's south suburbs helping feed area families for the holidays

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Twinkling holiday lights are a sign of the season across the Chicago area, but one display in the south suburbs is shining a light on an ongoing community issue.

Dylan Gluzsek's home in Midlothian is glowing for good; the holiday lights meant to draw people in. The real attraction is a box at visitors' feet, collecting dry goods and non-perishable foods for area families.

"I want people to – while they're enjoying the lights – to be able to do some good," he said.

Gluzsek is in his eighth year of collecting food at the holidays, a project the 21-year-old started in high school.

"I started off very, very, very small. The first year, I think I got about 1,000 pounds. The following year, I got over 6,000. Then it went to 10,000, then 14,000, then 17,000. It's just gotten bigger and bigger every year," he said.

This is a labor of love.

"I usually do it by myself, and when the wind is like it has been, decorations don't like to cooperate," he said.

He almost quit after last year, because the commitment grew too big.

"Normally the planning starts in August. That's when I usually start getting dates set, and events going, and flyers going, and this and that," he said.

But when he heard some statistics from the food pantries he partnered with, he knew he had to carry on.

"Saint Augustine Food Pantry, they were feeding about 150 families every month, and this year they're almost at 250, so the need has just grown so much that I really did not want to leave them high and dry," he said.

When it comes to feeding your family this Christmas, it is still too early to know the USDA's price predictions, but we can look at Thanksgiving. Experts said that Thanksgiving costs we're down for the second year in a row, though still 19% higher on those groceries than pre-pandemic. 

Gluzsek's displays, set to music, and broadcasting over radio, will continue until Dec. 21, when he wraps his drive with a "Stuff the Bus" event.

Donations to his annual food drive usually feed families long after the Christmas lights come down.

"Once it's all over, I can relax," he said.