As the holidays are approaching and winter is nearing, the less fortunate in our community are in need of help from us. This is a great time to give back to those who may not have the most, or who have very little. Lincoln-Way Central has done an amazing, generous job of giving back to our community. Some great charities our teachers are sponsoring need our help. This semester, Mr. Proutsos and Interact club has sponsored many charities including: Glovetober, a Toy Drive, Holiday Family, and sponsored three children for the Star Mission. Additionally, Ms. Gorniak sponsors the Peanut Butter and Jolly Drive.

Interact Club participated in Glovetober; they colelcted as many gloves as possible and donated them to the homeless. Each member of Interact Club brought in one pair to help support the cause. Many members also helped by sitting at the front table for three weeks and collecting gloves during lunch periods. The English Department also pitched in help by collecting gloves in their classes. Over the three weeks, Interact Club collected 312 pairs of gloves that were donated to Morning Star Mission in New Lenox. Mr. Proutsos is very proud of everyone that contributed.

During November and December, a Toy Drive was held during a girls basketball game, and they will be donating two big bags of toys to Silver Cross Hospital for children with extended hospital stays.

Interact Club will also be sponsoring a family of five during the holidays. $225 was raised and Interact Club will be going to Walmart and buying clothes, toys, and everyday things for the family.

Lastly, Interact Club participated with the New Lenox Rotary Club and sponsored three children for the Star Mission. The Rotary Club donates gift cards to Interact Club and many members went Black Friday shopping and bought gifts to give to the three children.

The Peanut Butter and Jolly Drive is an annual food drive that is sponsored by Student Council. Student Council has run  this food  drive for the past several years, specifically around the holiday season. All proceeds collected are brought to the New Lenox food pantry. This began when the New Lenox food pantry reached out, letting us know that they were in need of peanut butter and jelly. As a school, we do a great job of helping others in need and usually have several large boxes to bring over to the pantry. Student Council offers a sweet treat as a reward/motivation for the second hour class that collects the most PB and J. The drive was held through December 16th.

Getting involved in helping our community is very kind and generous, and you can help out by simply giving a pair of gloves. Lastly, a big thank you to Ms. Gorniak and Mr.Proutsos for sharing this information about some of Lincoln Way Central’s charities!