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The Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Service Unit 714 (Scouts from Peotone, Green Garden and Wilton Center), will canvass Peotone neighborhoods seeking non-perishable food, paper or personal products and detergent for Helping Hands. The event will take place on Saturday, October 24, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Residents will not be home at this time may bring donations to Immanuel United Church of Christ, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., or they may be placed on the front porch and clearly marked ''For Helping Hands.'' Seen here in this file photo are Hunter Walton, Nicole Lynch and Brittany Carlisle representing Troop 70292. They are from Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, Service Unit 714. The Scouts are not allowed to take monetary donations, which may be sent directly to: Helping Hands, c/o First United Presbyterian Church, First and Crawford, Peotone, IL 60468. submitted photo
Peotone again responds to need  Share
On Saturday, October 3, Peotone's downtown merchants worked together to raise money to expand services for Helping Hands. Raffles, a chili cook-off, drawings and generous contributions combined to make the whole event a success. Despite poor weather, it raised more than $2,000 for Peotone's residents needing food assistance. ''It really helps to know the whole community was involved,'' said Rev. Jonathan Krogh, pastor of First Presbyterian Church and president of Helping Hands. This past spring, Helping Hands doubled the number of distribution days for food assistance, a move that has nearly tripled the amount of food given to individuals and families in our community. ''The expansion of services meant we were using cash reserves to cover expenses,'' said Barbara Benson, treasurer of Helping Hands. ''Past generosity made it possible to continue services, but we were concerned that without increased fundraising we would not be able to keep up the pace,'' Benson added. The October 3 event really helped. Helping Hands, housed at the First Presbyterian Church, is overseen by a community board comprised of individuals from several churches.
Twice each month, on the first Thursday and third Tuesday, food arrives from the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Volunteers unload and organize the shipment for distribution on the following day. Those needing assistance come to the First Presbyterian Church, 100 W. Crawford, Peotone, between 1 and 5 p.m. (Participants must bring proof they reside in the area.) In addition to funds raised at the October 3 event, community Girl Scouts will ''Trick-or-Treat for Helping Hands,'' again this year. Residents are asked to leave contributions of non-perishable food or household cleaning items on their front porches or steps at 9:30 a.m. Scouts will be collecting between 9:30 a.m. and noon. Those whose homes are blocked by Rathje Road reconstruction are asked to bring their donations to the front of Faith Community Church, 801 Louise Lane, Peotone, by 9:30 a.m. Additional contributions may be sent to: Helping Hands, c/o First Presbyterian Church-Peotone, P.O. Box 508, Peotone, Illinois 60468-0508. Volunteers are invited to contact: Rev. Krogh at 708-258-9204, the church's office, or Benson, at 708-258-6142. Russell Publications prints several community newspapers each week, serving Will, Kankakee and Cook counties.
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