The holiday season begins. People are anticipating the spirit of the season and the enthusiasm of celebrating Thanksgiving. Two weeks before the holidays, Parker joins together with the Midwest Workers Association (MWA) to help the less fortunate. The drive is organized by Upper School history teacher Kevin Conlon.

The Midwest Workers Association is an independent workers’ advocacy association that has operated out of the south side of Chicago since the late 1990s. Conlon became acquainted with the organization after they presented in a Morning Ex six years ago, and the drive occurs once a year.

“A Parker student was doing civic engagement work with the organization and invited them to an MX,” Conlon said. “After the MX I introduced myself and said I was teaching an economics course.” Conlon wanted to bring his students to the MWA to see how they provide support for workers through relief programs, such as job referral and medical care to basic needs. “Our school is oriented to helping others,” said Conlon, “everyone in our school has a sense of giving.”

All recipients of the food drive are members of the MWA. “The Thanksgiving Food Basket Distribution is a benefit for active participating members of the MWA, which is an all-volunteer independent organization of some of Chicago’s lowest paid workers,” Operation Manager of the MWA Virginia Miller said.

“They also have an emergency food supply,” Conlon said, “if they run out of food and at the holiday they do more extensive food drives.” This was an opportunity for Parker to give back and join the effort in giving food for the holidays. “I have attended the arrangement of the food,” Conlon said, “and the Tuesday before Thanksgiving they have all the food brought in and they start putting addresses of the needy residences. The food is delivered by volunteers. People are so friendly and it is such a great vibe.”

Every year the amount of food Parker donates varies. “One year we were able to collect over a hundred turkeys whereas other years we have had less,” Conlon said.

This year is different as many members of the MWA are struggling with more than just putting a Turkey on the table for Thanksgiving. “The pressing thing right now on top of other issues members are facing is that they are being shut off from their water,” Miller said. “Water rates have tripled over the past few years and our members can’t keep up. Our members are getting cut off which puts even more pressure on them around the holidays.”

“I reach out to advisors and recommend that they each have a few students in charge to be the leaders in putting the food together,” said Conlon, “I have set up quotas and see which advisory brings in the most turkeys because it is important to have fun while you are trying to help people.”
“I’m very excited to be helping out with turkey drive this year,” sophomore and member of Conlon’s advisory Jonah Gross said. “It’s great to know that people who wouldn’t have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving in the first place can now have a great time celebrating the holiday.”