Column: Back home in a pandemic, Evanston Township High School grads will transform school parking lot into food drive site
It’s been six years since Grace Sarkor and Parker English walked the halls of Evanston Township High School together.
English graduated in 2014. Sarkor graduated in 2015. They ran track together. Sarkor went on to Kent State University. English went on to Notre Dame (where she continued to run track) before transferring to DePaul.
This summer they find themselves back in their hometown. English, 24, works as a software developer for Discover. Sarkor is between gigs.
“I did not expect to be here,” Sarkor, 22, said. “I was living in New York, working as a caterer, trying to get my feet wet. Then the pandemic happened.”
The longtime friends, near each other once again, have been partnering up on some local activism. They recently helped raise $700 for a food drive in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood, which sparked an idea.
“We thought, ‘Why don’t we do this for our own community?‘” Sarkor said. “Food insecurity is a real problem in Evanston, and it’s only gotten worse during the pandemic.”
Indeed, the Greater Chicago Food Depository estimated 19% of Evanston residents were already at risk of not having enough food before the coronavirus caused widespread economic disruption.
They decided to hold a food drive in the parking lot of their old high school. They secured permission (and the use of a bunch of tables and chairs) from their former principal. They launched a GoFundMe to raise money for groceries. (They had raised $6,055 by Wednesday morning.) They approached Koi, an Evanston restaurant known for its commitment to community service, and suggested a partnership. They launched a Facebook page and an Instagram account.
Here’s the end result: From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, donors can drop off nonperishable food and other necessities (cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, paper products, tampons and pads) at ETHS parking lot 1 (1600 Dodge Ave.) From 2-6 p.m., community members are invited to come take what they need.
Before Saturday, people who want to help can donate to the GoFundMe (labeled “Evanston Food Drive”) or order food from Koi and mention the food drive. The restaurant will donate 3% of each of those orders to English and Sarkor’s fund.
“We’ve gotten so much support,” English said. “Every day we hear from someone else who wants to help out.”
ETHS principal Marcus Campbell said he’s thrilled to see his school parking lot put to such good use.
“I’m just proud of them,” Campbell said. “We’ve got ETHS grads organizing marches and rallies, planning food drives. It makes me proud to know they got the leadership lessons we were trying to teach them while they were students and they’re taking those lessons and making the world their own.”
I caught Campbell between a slew of meetings and phone calls, as he and his fellow educators try to determine how to safely educate students this fall. He said English and Sarkor’s request was, unlike most he’s fielding, a no-brainer.
“Grace reached out to me on Facebook and said, ‘Do you remember me?‘” Campbell said. “I said, ‘Of course I remember you.’ Both Grace and Parker were sweet, kind students. They made a contribution to ETHS when they were students, and I’m not surprised they would come back and continue to find ways to contribute.”
If Saturday goes well, English said, they plan to hold similar drives in the future, partnering with different local restaurants each time.
Which is one bright spot in the pandemic darkness — the way that many, many people are turning unexpected, unwelcome, uncertain circumstances into an invitation to do good.
A couple months from now, that ETHS parking lot may or may not be filled with cars. Sarkor may or may not be back in New York, forging ahead with her catering career. This virus may or may not be slowing down its deadly march.
Regardless, we will have seen how trials and tragedy can bring out the best in some people. Like Sarkor. Like English. And we can hang on to those examples when we need some hope — which is one thing I’m certain the next few months will call for in spades.
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