UChicago Medicine Ingalls’ Memorial food & toy distribution for families in need in Thornton Township

Last month, UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial in collaboration with Restoration Ministries, hosted its annual Food and Toy Distribution to benefit the residents of Thornton Township. Visitors and volunteers traveled to Restoration Ministries,  253 E. 159th Street in Harvey, IL days before Christmas to distribute goods to help local families in need during the holiday season. The event served to provide food, toys and clothes to Southland residents.

The Food & Toy Distribution was arranged using the client choice distribution model in which participants select their own food items in a space resembling a common grocery store. Donated items for the event were provided by Ingalls staff and purchased at the local Walmart in Homewood, IL.

Shanice Williams, Healthy Baby Network Coordinator at Ingalls Memorial recounts the mood of the event, “It was such a joy to be able to help families within our community during this holiday season. To see the love and appreciation on the faces of the families makes all the hard work worth it. This is what serving the community is all about.”

In addition to food, visiting families also received hats, scarves, gloves and socks donated by several departments of UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial.  By the close of the Food and Toy Distribution, over 170 families received food items, clothing and toys for the holidays. 

"Restoration Ministries was grateful to partner with Ingalls in their efforts to help make Christmas special for families in Harvey and the south suburbs,” recalls Karen Vrdolyak, Director of Development at Restoration Ministries, “Ingalls and its employees and volunteers were so generous and worked tirelessly to make sure our families had everything they needed to celebrate Christmas."