WGN Shares Story of Event Planner Who Donates Leftovers
From left: Gibson Capua, Weddings and Events by Kristin Head Designer; Jennifer Coyer, DuPagePads Client Service Center Director; Janelle Barcelona, DuPagePads Vice President of Development; Kristin Anderson, Owner Weddings and Events by Kristin; Carol Simler, DuPagePads President & CEO; Erin Ivory, WGN Award Winning Reporter.
This week, Erin Ivory of WGN TV visited our Client Service Center as generous wedding planner, Kristin donated trays of delicious and nutritious meals left over from a wedding. Kristin’s company, Weddings and Events by Kristin, donated high-end entrees including chicken piccata, roasted vegetables and angel hair pasta, enough to feed 50 people.
“We were dumping a ton of food. It would literally be going in the garbage. We decided why not donate it to people that are in need,” Kristin shares. She began asking her clients if they would be willing to donate their leftover food.
“The brides and grooms are loving it. They are really excited to be giving back to the community. They paid for the meal, so why not donate the excess food,” Kristin says.
Kristin had been donating to a homeless shelter in the city, when she had the idea to donate to her own community.
DuPagePads President & CEO, Carol Simler shares why Kristin’s donation is important, “People don’t think about homelessness in DuPage County, not in suburbia. Yes, it does exist.
We are taking the food that Kristin generously donated out to our overnight sites, so it will be a feast.”
Kristin has started a crusade by encouraging couples and catering companies to think about what they will do with their extra food. Some catering companies have even made generous amounts of extra food to ensure there is some to donate.
Last year, DuPagePads served an average of 350 meals a day, which are predominately donated by volunteers. The spring and summer months are often the most challenging times to receive meal donations, as our overnight schedule changes.
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Weddings and Events By Kristin
Simler shares, “We know, when someone believes in you, everything can change. Certainly, Kristin has changed the lives of so many tonight.”
