Good Tidings We Bring
Good Tidings We Bring
The Loyal, Community-wide Generosity Behind Barrington Giving Day
THIS CROWD REPRESENTS AN OFTEN-OVERLOOKED segment of Barrington’s population: the 900-plus families – including more than 2,500 children – and 155 seniors living below the federal poverty line. In a community largely made up of “haves,” they are the “have nots” (if only in monetary terms), and their numbers are increasing dramatically each year. All are challenged with making ends meet, and their struggle becomes particularly poignant during the holidays.
Parents are faced with impossible decisions: Should we give our children coats or food? Seniors, many of whom were financially secure until recent years, wonder how they will afford to heat their homes or apartments.
Pat Karon, Jeanette Muensch, and John Paul (“JP”) Hills aim to eliminate those troubling questions. Together, they have united Barrington-area residents, charitable organizations, churches and businesses to accomplish a herculean task: bringing Christmas to those for whom it would otherwise be meager at best—and doing so in way that preserves dignity and elevates the human spirit. The result is Barrington Giving Day, a long-standing and community-wide tradition that has existed in some form since the Depression era.
A tradition of giving
In the early 1930s, officers from the Chicago branch of the Salvation Army approached the late Ed Bierkness, owner of a Chevrolet dealership in Barrington. They needed a vehicle, and wondered if he would provide one. He did, and Ed and his late wife Esther helped establish a local unit of the Salvation Army, which served those in need by delivering boxes of food during the holidays.
Shortly after their organization was established in 1957, Church Women United founded a community food pantry in Barrington, and they joined forces with the Salvation Army. “When I first moved to Barrington in the mid-1970s, I started working with the Salvation Army and the Barrington Food Pantry,” recalls longtime Giving Day volunteer Jeanette Muench. “Blanche Frey and Hazel Ernst [both now deceased] ran the food pantry, and Ms. Lines knit scarves and mittens year-round.” Each year the charities strove to meet additional needs, and soon Giving Day offered not just food, but warm clothes and toys for children.
Evolving to serve
When, in 2005, the food pantry closed its doors, volunteers Karon and Muensch were committed to ensuring that Giving Day would continue to serve area residents in need. However, it needed to evolve. They needed help professionalizing the organization, and thought Barrington Bank & Trust—a community bank with a tradition of giving back— would be a good place to start. Bank President Jon Stickney believed in their vision, and JP Hills volunteered to serve as treasurer of Barrington Giving Day.
“I had volunteered for Giving Day when I was in high school at BHS [Barrington High School], so I think I was a good fit from that perspective,” Hill said. “Pat asked me to help them be more efficient, help provide public relations, streamline processes, and reach additional families.”
Thanks to JP’s dedication, Barrington Giving Day was incorporated in 2006. One year later, the IRS approved their request for Federal 501(c)3 status, which earned them tax exemption. This status increased their buying power and made them eligible for discounts at several large retailers. A board of directors was formed, with 28-year volunteer Pat Karon at the helm as Executive Director. Lisa Miller signed on as president; Barb Reed serves as current vice president; and Jill Bauer is currently second vice president.
Making a list, checking it twice
The planning of Giving Day is equal parts labor of love, impressive challenge, and logistical nightmare. To complicate matters, it occurs during what is for many the busiest time of year. The first task is determining the number of invitees. Beginning in October, an address-only mailing list of invitees is generated by District 220, and includes those enrolled in the federally-funded Free and Reduced Lunch Program. (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 prohibits the sharing of names, and privacy is of utmost concern to both the school district and Giving Day volunteers.) For a family of four, the federal poverty line is $22,050. To be eligible for free or reduced meals, a family of four needs to be at or below 185 percent of that poverty level, with a maximum annual income of $40,793.
“In 2009, 723 District 220 families, including 1,534 children Pre-K through 12th grade, were on the list,” said Debbie Villers, Human Resources and Administrative Services Coordinator for District 220. “These families are dispersed throughout the Barrington area, and our number doesn’t account for everyone in need. If a preschooler is on the list, chances are good that there’s a younger sibling who isn’t yet registered with the district.”
Area churches and the Cuba and Barrington Township offices both supply additional names to the list, adding nearly 200 more families and 155 seniors. These numbers are then used to determine the number of invitees that may attend Giving Day, based on past attendance data. “In recent years, it’s been about 46 percent of those invited who ultimately attend,” Karon said. “So we use that number to figure out how many coats, how much food, how many toys, etcetera, we’ll need to purchase.” Since the invitations don’t go out until November, there is a quick turnaround on purchasing goods to distribute on Giving Day. “JP and I work year-round, and we usually start with a small budget surplus from the year before, but it always comes together at the last minute,” Karon said. “Just when I start to panic, the donations start coming.”
A community united
Although Pat has certainly earned her self-titled “wheeler-dealer” status, Barrington mobilizes in an impressive way to gather goods for Giving Day attendees. In November, Brian Dockery from ADCO Van and Storage provides a large collection boxes. A team of high school students decorates the boxes, and about 40 volunteers drop off the boxes at area schools and businesses. Regular rounds of picking up and sorting the donated goods keeps the volunteers busy! These boxes provide community residents with an easy method for donating new and very gently used coats, toys, and non-perishable food items. “The incredible generosity of the Barrington community astounds us each year,” Karon said.
Giving Day provides area charities and businesses with a direct way to give back. Barrington Junior Women’s Club (BJWC) purchases new toys for children and gifts for teens each year. Tracy Seagren and Tricia Davis, BJWC members and chairpersons of the organization’s Community Service committee, have led these massive shopping expeditions for the past two years. Using numbers supplied by District 220, Cuba and Barrington Townships, and area churches, they determine how many gifts to purchase and the approximate ages of the recipients. A tremendous amount of thought goes into their buying plan. “This may be the only gift a child receives for Christmas. We want to make sure we’re getting things that excite the kids,” Seagren said. “Just like you want to surprise your own child with a great gift, we want these kids to feel the same way.”
“Target of Hoffman Estates does a phenomenal job helping us shop, and Hamilton Partners has been wonderful in donating a space for us to sort and stage toys,” Davis said. The RE/MAX Barrington office and the Patty Ancona Realty Group offer the use of their trucks for transporting toys from the storage facility to Station Middle School. Davis does the driving, albeit timidly. “Whatever it takes!” she said. Traditionally, BJWC members chair a committee for two years, then move on to something else. Seagren and Davis as chairpersons for a third year in 2010. “You volunteer for an organization hoping for exactly this kind of experience,” Davis said. “It’s so rare that you can organize an event and immediately see the impact of your work.”
Ron Brandt, president of the Barrington Lions Club, feels the same way. The Lions began providing paper products for Giving Day nearly a decade ago. “There was a need for the products, and we had a connection through one of our members. It was a good fit,” Brandt said. Using funds raised through its annual golf outing in May, the Lions purchase $2,300 in paper goods. “Giving Day is a highlight of the holiday season for the Lions. It’s our way to enjoy giving on the giving holiday.”
While donated goods are certainly appreciated, monetary donations are an essential to the day’s success. “In 2009, Prairie Middle School raised over $5,000 to purchase each family a ham from the Rose Packing Company, who offered us hams at $5 apiece, saving us about $1,800 for the meat, ” Karon said. “The community’s generosity is unending, and it makes a huge difference in what we’re able to provide for the families.”
In 2009, the Grove Avenue PTO donated $2,000; the Barrington Area United Way gave $2,250; and the St. Matthew’s Angel Foundation gave $1,000, as did Cuba Township. Giving Day also raises funds independently, by participating in the July sidewalk sales and hosting an “Eat and Earn” day at Francesca’s. “But we also have many people who send us $25, and that really means just as much. I am often stopped by total strangers while I’m shopping and offered coats or money—people are so generous at every turn.”
Virtually all money raised serves the population in need—more than 98 percent of donations are spent on purchasing goods for attendees. “It’s the most hands-on, bottom-up, direct-impact organization you can imagine,” JP said. “Many people think they need to go downtown or even farther to have a measurable impact. This is right here in our community, benefitting the children and families of District 220.”
Giving day arrives
After an intensive three weeks of sorting, it is finally time to set up the Giving Day event at Station Middle School. As school is in session, volunteers cannot access the school’s facilities until 3 p.m. on the Friday afternoon before Saturday morning’s event. A well-choreographed set-up ensures that the goods are ready and waiting by 6:30 p.m. “It’s an impressive sight,” Karon said. “The football and wrestling teams, BJWC volunteers, the Breakfast Rotary, brownie troops, Station and Prairie volunteers, and so many others are all there to set up, and it goes quickly.”
Kyle Dockery is among the many Barrington High School volunteers who contribute to the event’s success. He began volunteering at age 12, when his dad Brian (of ADCO Van & Storage) needed some last-minute help. “It’s so good to feel that you’re really helping someone,” Dockery said. “It’s dark and cold, and even though it’s the holidays it can be kind of depressing. There is so much giving and joy on this day—I wish it could happen during the rest of the year.”
At 7 a.m. on Saturday, after much anticipation, Giving Day begins. Attendees, many of whom have been waiting for more than seven hours, are greeted with donated Starbucks coffee, Entenmann’s pastries, and Norma Savoji’s welcoming smile. Savolji, who was formerly the parent coordinator for Woodland School in Carpentersville, has served as a volunteer translator for the past two years.
Families who present their invitation at the door are served first. Small groups are guided through and assisted by shoppers to expedite the process and to help get people in from the cold faster. Coats are chosen first, followed by food and books. Last stop is the toys, a parents-only zone. “Kids have to wait outside the door, and gifts are placed in opaque garbage bags,” Davis said. “We want them to be surprised!”
Luisa Vargas, a mother of two boys, has attended Giving Day for the past two years. She is among those arriving around midnight. “It’s a ladies’ night out for many of us,” Vargas said. “I don’t want people to feel badly that we’re out in the cold. It’s a time for us to be together, and we’re so happy to be there! I got the greatest coat last year, and I am not afraid or embarrassed to say where I got it.” Vargas, who volunteers at the St. Anne food pantry, said that Giving Day comes at a critical time for people in her community. “Many of the husbands work outside, and the winter is the slowest time. Money is tight, and it means so much that we can give our kids something for the holidays.” Many of Vargas’ neighbors do not have cars, and they plan well in advance to arrange rides to Giving Day. Vargas now serves as a Giving Day volunteer, helping to sort food the afternoon before. “They give a lot. It’s not a job for us to help out. They make happier kids,” she said.
Norma agrees. “It’s not degrading to the human spirit,” Savolji said. “They give us a blessing, and it’s a feeling carried through the season.”
Invitees who do not attend the event receive gift cards from Jewel, and seniors receive gift baskets with items chosen by Karon—chocolates, lotions, and much-needed toiletries— and $50 toward their NICOR gas bills. Kate Formichella of Cuba Township said that seniors “appreciate the gift baskets so much.
They often bring them when they visit family for the holidays. It means everything for them to share a treat with their grandchildren, and they wouldn’t be able to afford it on their own. It’s a gift to the seniors, and they pass the gift along,” Formichella said.
Cheryl Tanaka, who also works at Cuba Township, applauds Karon and Hills for their efforts. “They help people realize that it’s OK to be struggling in this community,” she said. “There are resources, and people want to help people.”
For more information about Barrington Giving Day, please visit www.barringtongivingday.org, or contact Pat Karon at 847-382-2670.
Giving Day by the Numbers
What does it take to serve more than 900 families? Here’s a rundown of the items provided by Giving Day in 2009:
- Outerwear: 500 new coats purchased at $10,200. 990 gently used coats were donated, and 150 new children’s coats were donated. Thousands of scarves, hats, mittens and gloves were collected.
- Books: More than 2,000 new books were purchased and distributed, at a cost of $2,330. Scholastic donated $840 in books. English/Spanish dictionaries were given out. Area schools donated additional books.
- Food: Food boxes totaling $61/box were given to each family in attendance, and Jewel gift cards were sent to invitees who did not attend, for a total of $46,600 spent on food.
- Blankets: Barrington Giving Day purchased 360 new blankets for $3,100. One blanket was given to each family in attendance.
- Toys: BJWC spent $10,500 purchasing new toys (this, combined with toys donated by Station Middle School and other toy drives, brought the total 2009 expenditure for toys to $18,300).
- How can you help? Donate new or gently used items as listed above, volunteer, or send a monetary donation to:
Barrington Giving Day
c/o John Paul Hills
Barrington Bank & Trust
201 S. Hough St.
Barrington, IL 60010