STERLING—Volunteers who distribute food to hungry children are heroic, says Darrin Driscoll, a veteran of the second Iraq War, during a Let’s Feed Our Children free lunchtime distribution.

The meals go to children who normally would receive free or discounted lunches at school.

“I’ve seen heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan ... but I’ve seen more here,” said Driscoll, E-6 Petty Officer, First Class of the U.S. Navy, retired, as he observed children and teens arriving at the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Sterling to receive the gifts of food.

The free lunches, offered three days a week at many locations throughout the area, are organized by the Whiteside County United Way and aided by area churches and service clubs.

In the month of July, volunteers from Sacred Heart Parish in Sterling, will take their turn at making hundreds of peanut butter and jelly, or baloney sandwiches. They’ll also pack them into brown paper bags with apples, grapes or fruit cups for the ecumenical effort.

The meals will assist those families who find it difficult to buy enough groceries to feed their children.
Jill Olson has been involved since the program started in 2001, together with Mike and Sharon Knolhoff.  All are parishioners of Sacred Heart  in Sterling.

“It was the brainchild of Father Paul White when he was pastor of Sacred Heart. Our major industries were closing — National Manufacturing, Lawrence Brothers and Northwestern Steel and Wire — so we had a lot of children on free or reduced lunch. That was the impetus that got this started,”  Olson said.

“The question was: They get breakfast and lunch during the school year; what happens during the summer?” Olson, a retired teacher, said. “Now it’s a little better because we have the Walmart Distribution Center, but now we still have in Rock Falls and Sterling school districts a large number — I would say over 50 percent of the students—on free or reduced lunches.

“The families don’t say much, but they are pretty grateful, especially the little kids,” she added.

“We’ve always done this at Macedonia (Missionary Baptist Church). The site is open all summer,” she said.

“We see the kids over the summer then we don’t see them again until the next summer. So it’s kind of fun to see how they have grown over the years,” Olson added.

As far as Sacred Heart Parish, she explained, “Our responsibility is for the month of July on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. There are a lot of churches that work at the site,” she added.

The food is delivered to each site by area food bank trucks. Usually about half a dozen volunteers do the work on the distribution days. Sometimes, Kiwanis Key Club members volunteer with others from various area churches.

“We open the doors at 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.,” Olson said.

Raymond Long, of Sterling, came with one of his four children at the start of the program in June, and said he was grateful for the help.

“I think this is absolutely delightful to see good, God-hearted people help feed our children the way they do,” Long said.

Joan Partridge, of the Wesley United Methodist Church, had the duty of putting out the sign in front of the church on June 8 so people would know that the lunches were ready to be served.

“It’s a very worthy cause, “ she said. “We had 114 lunches given out yesterday. Today we had 120. We make up more lunches as needed.”

Gail Vaughn, formerly of Dixon, who is retired and now lives in Sterling, said she hopes to get her adult children involved in this worthy cause.

“I think it is very important because a lot of people are hungry,” Vaughn said.

Part of the cause of hunger is the unemployment in the area with the closing of some businesses, said Pam Martinez, a spokeswoman for the United Way of White Side County.

“The program began when the local mill that employed many residents in the area closed down several years ago.  Some businesses have reopened, but the need continues,” she said.

The United Way works with area churches and other volunteers to distribute the lunches. When the food is delivered on each of the designated days to the distribution points, the volunteers form  production lines to make the sandwiches and pack brown paper bags, while sharing small talk and smiles.

Sometimes unexpected events cause a change in plans, but the effort continues, Martinez said.

Last year a water problem in Rock Falls required the city water to be turned off for a day. All the lunch items had to be delivered to the United Way offices instead.

 “That day we made 500 sandwiches at our offices and distributed them, with the help of 10 volunteers,” Martinez said.