A friendly competition among staff in Kenosha County’s Division of Children and Family Services is again putting food on the table for local families in need.
The Feed 100 Families Food Drive contest, held Friday, is holiday season tradition in DCFS, in which the division’s various units collect food donations and decorate their work areas in with various themes.
In so doing, they’re competing for two trophies: Most Generous and Most Creative. Moreover, they’re giving back to the community, while having some fun along the way.
“I am so impressed by the generosity and the creativity of these teams,” said County Executive Samantha Kerkman, who was on hand for Friday’s festivities. “This is a wonderful way to ring in the holidays while also serving those in need.”
Kerkman served as a judge in this year’s competition alongside county Human Services Director John Jansen.
Ultimately, the Most Creative trophy went to the Youth Justice/Clerical team for its crime scene skit, which took the judges through a scenario in which someone had “sabotaged” the unit, ruining the festive decorations that had been set up. A series of clues led to the culprit — Jansen himself — who was “sentenced” to community service, organizing a closet full of food that unit members collected.
Most Generous was awarded to the Ongoing Services Unit, which collected an estimated $1,200 to $1,300 worth of food, plus a gift card that will be given to a teen in foster care who will soon be launching into adulthood and going to college. Their donation also included a generous cash contribution from the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office.
Those funds will be combined with cash donations from Professional Services Group/Community Impact Programs and the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha to purchase perishable items including milk, eggs, bread and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Other competitors included the Prevention Services Network, Child Protective Services, and the DCFS management team.
All of the food collected was sorted and delivered Saturday to families throughout the community.
Gang Intervention Supervisor Donna Rhodes, who coordinates the event each year, noted that the employees purchase the food and decorate their work areas during non-working hours, meaning they are volunteering their time as well as their talent and treasure.
Katie Schroeder, a member of the trophy-winning Ongoing Services team, said she loves to participate.
“It’s one of my favorite events every single year just because it really gives us an opportunity to get all of our creativity going, and I really love the friendly competition,” said Schroeder, a social worker. It’s awesome to see what each unit does, and then of course we love being able to give back to the community.”
Cheyenne Rahn, a social worker in the Youth Justice Unit, agreed.
“It’s just fun to come together as a unit,” Rahn said. “Oftentimes, we have high caseloads or we’re really busy, so this brings us time during lunch or after work hours to come together and create something that’s just so fun. And again, like Katie said, it’s a really nice way to give back to the community.”
More information about the Kenosha County Division of Children and Family Services and its various service areas is available at kenoshacounty.org/241/Children-Family-Services.