Indiana School Collects 2,000 food items for Rich Township Food Pantry

Carts stacked with boxes of canned goods, boxes filled with food and a table lined with cereal and other non-perishable food items filled the entrance to the Indiana School in Park Forest on Tuesday morning.

The Matteson School District 162 school, which serves students in fifth and sixth grade,
collected more than 2,000 items to donate to the Rich Township Food pantry. Rich Township
Supervisor Calvin Jordan and his team came to the school on Tuesday to collect the items which
he said will benefit several families.

“It means a lot when you get the youth concerned about helping families,” Jordan said. “It
shows the kind of heart and concern that they have. It really means a lot.”

Tracye Hutsona, Indiana School’s principal, said a teacher, Aubrey Schuh, came up with the idea
to have a food drive to celebrate the 100th day of school and give back to the community.

“We are a part of the community,” Hutsona said. “Anything we can do to help our families, we
are happy to do that.”

The entire school was involved and had a contest between classes to see who could bring the
most items for the food pantry. The food was collected in one week, Hutsona said.

“Our students are learning valuable lessons beyond math, reading and writing,” said Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, superintendent of Matteson School District 162. “They are also learning the importance of giving back to their community.”

Jordan said the township serves thousands of people a month, providing much needed food,
including fresh produce.

With increasing food prices, Jordan said donations like the one made by Indiana School make a
real impact. Jordan said that he is excited about the partnership with the school and that the
township plans to give back to the school by having a pizza party for students soon.