Willowbrook students help to feed children in need

More than 400 volunteers assembled in Willowbrook High School’s main gymnasium on Saturday to pack about 500 boxes of food during a Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) MobilePack event. The boxes of food will reportedly supply the equivalent of over 100,000 meals—enough to provide one meal per day to 300 children for an entire year.
Saturday’s event was the culmination of the Willowbrook Class of 2013’s senior service project. Previous senior classes have often presented the school with a gift in the form of a donation or an actual item like a bench or work of art. The members of this year’s senior class decided to team up with their fellow seniors from District 88’s other school—Addison Trail High School—to take part in the event to provide food to malnourished children around the world.
The District 88 seniors held several fundraisers, including a community movie night and a dodgeball tournament, leading up to Saturday’s packing event. The students raised about $22,000 to package and send the boxes of food.
Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit organization based in Minnesota. Volunteers in the FMSC MobilePack events hand-pack meals that are specifically formulated for malnourished children. The meals are shipped to nearly 70 countries.
For more information about Feed My Starving Children, visit its Web site at www.fmsc.org.


Memorial Day service on May 27

Villa Park Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post No. 2801 will hold its annual Memorial Day service on Monday, May 27. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the post, which is located at 39 E. St. Charles Road.


Residents can apply for disaster relief from last month’s flooding

DuPage County residents affected by recent flooding are eligible to apply for FEMA disaster assistance. Residents can apply online at www.disasterassistance.gov, or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). The toll-free telephone number will operate from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Within the next few days, a disaster recovery center (DRC) will also be available for residents who wish to apply for assistance, in-person. The assistance offered via the DRC locations is identical to assistance available to residents who register via the phone number or Web site listed above. It may be easier for residents with telephone or Internet access to apply directly via phone or Internet, as opposed to waiting for a DRC location to open, traveling to the DRC or waiting in line at the facility, etc. Once the location of the DRC is selected by FEMA, it will be posted on www.ProtectDuPage.org.
In most cases, a FEMA inspector will contact applicants within a few days of registering to arrange a visit to their damaged home or apartment. A FEMA inspector will always have an official badge visible during the inspection. Residents should request to see identification before allowing the inspector to enter their homes.
Applicants who qualify for FEMA assistance will receive a federal government check or the funds will be directly deposited into their designated bank account. A separate letter also will be sent to eligible recipients, explaining how they may use the funds.
For additional information, including the location of the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (once it is selected by FEMA),  go online to monitor www.ProtectDuPage.org and/or www.Facebook.com/ProtectDuPage.


Choral concert on Thursday

Willowbrook High School’s music department will present its final concert of the school year on Thursday, May 23. The choral concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the school’s Doris White Auditorium.
Thursday’s concert will include performances from the concert and treble choirs, the beginning mixed chorus and the CenterStage show choir.
Admission to the concert is $3 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens. Senior citizen gold cards and student passes will also be accepted. Admission is free to children 12 and under who are accompanied by an adult.