Grayslake Queens Help With Jewel-Osco's Giving Thanks Program

Shoppers at Jewel-Osco seeking ingredients for their Thanksgiving meals also opened their wallets and their hearts to help local families in need. The four 2011 Grayslake Queens asked shoppers to get involved with the Giving Thanks fundraiser.

“The point of this is to give meals to families in our local communities,” said Miss Grayslake Elizabeth Blasko, 17. “It is great because it stays local and helps people right here, so people are really responsive to it.”

The Giving Thanks program helps local Lake County families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Shoppers donate to the program, and Jewel-Osco uses the donations to provide full holiday meals to PLAN, a nonprofit organization in Round Lake that helps needy individuals and families throughout Lake County.

The 2011 Grayslake queens participated by asking Jewel shoppers to donate either $1, $5 or more to the Giving Thanks program. They also will help box and deliver the meals with PLAN volunteers.

As of Nov. 20, the program had raised more than $2,200.

“I really think that volunteering with events like this is a great way that we can really give back to our community,” Blasko said.

“I like knowing that we are really helping someone,” said Junior Miss Grayslake Charlotte Roberts, 12. “People have been very nice.”

Little Miss Grayslake Ashley Reese, 10, said that everyone should be able to celebrate the holidays.

“We are feeding people who maybe don’t have homes or can’t afford a meal for the holidays,” she said. “We are helping a lot of people. This will let them get to celebrate Thanksgiving, too.”

Tiny Miss Grayslake Peyton Esp, 4, put it simply, in between having fun dancing and twirling around, saying, “We are giving turkeys. I like turkeys!”