Toy, Food Drive Set Saturday in Deerfield

Police Department, Township, United States Marine, Italian Kitchen, Mutual Hardware and Deerfield Bank & Trust join forces.

A joint drive through toy and food drive sponsored by a mix of six government organizations and private businesses will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot at the northwest corner of Deerfield Road and Rosemary Terrace in Deerfield.  People are encouraged to bring new unwrapped toys along with canned food, personal care items and cleaning supplies, according to Village Management Analyst Andrew Lichterman.  Get local news in a daily email from Patch. It's like getting a free newspaper. Learn more.  For those who want to park and get out of the car, Santa Claus will be there with some “furry friends” courtesy of Kroll’s Farm, according to Lichterman. “This is our third year (and we’re) looking for it to be a …

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Morrison Seeks Her Successor

State Sen. Elect will resign as West Deerfield Township supervisor.

West Deerfield Township Supervisor and state Sen. Elect Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) will leave her local post in the next two months to plunge into her new duties full time leaving an opening in the post she has held for nearly 16 years. Though a new supervisor will be elected April 2, the Township trustees will choose a successor to Morrison, most likely in December, to complete the balance of her term. That person can run for a full four-year term in April. Earlier: Morrison Defeats Friedman in IL 29th State Senate Race “This is an opportunity for someone to step up and be an integral part of the community,” Morrison said. “It is a job I have loved for 16 years.” The two requirements for the $67,000 a year job to complete Morrison’s …

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More Officials Dealing With Hunger

Dold gets firsthand look at kosher facility in Northbrook while Morrison continues to serve those in Deerfield, Highland Park and Lake Forest.

More Officials Dealing With Hunger

Dold gets firsthand look at kosher facility in Northbrook while Morrison continues to serve those in Deerfield, Highland Park and Lake Forest.

Activity at food pantries throughout the area has been on the increase for the last five years as both Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) and West Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison know.  Morrison has seen needs jump 15 percent a year since 2007 as the West Deerfield Township Food Pantry helps more than 200 people a month in Deerfield, Lake Forest and Highland Park.  Earlier: Food Pantry Use Shows Sign of the Times  “We’ve always had our seniors but we’ve had a lot more families lately,” Morrison said in December. Though any township resident whose income is below three times the national poverty rate (of $20,000 per year) qualifies, Morrison said she goes out of her way to help.  “If someone comes in here and really needs help, we…

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Derrick Rose Donates to Food Pantry

Bulls’ star’s shoes given to silent auction at Three Guys and a Truck.

A continuous flow of people brought food to fill a truck and circle the Adams Field track Sunday at Deerfield High School to participate in the 11th annual Three Guys and a Truck event to help fill the West Deerfield Township Food Pantry, but Derrick Rose’s shoes were the star. People arrived at Adams Field with bags of groceries, took them to a table backed up to the truck, gave them to one of the volunteers at the table and many took laps around the quarter-mile oval. Earlier: Runners’ Idea Fills Food Pantry “The highlight of the day is when the Chicago Bulls Assistant Coach (Ron Adams) came and donated a pair of autographed Derrick Rose shoes,” Carl Berg, one of the three event founders, said. By 2 p.m. Sunday, there was a $500 bid at …

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Holidays Start Today at Township Office

The Secret Santas’ gifts have all arrived, are wrapped and ready.

  The Holidays start today for some Deerfield, Lake Forest and Highland Park residents when they see what the secret Santas have done as part of West Deerfield Township’s annual Holiday Wish Program.  People throughout the township adopt others whose holiday may not be so bountiful and make an effort to spruce it up.  “People come in and want to know what they can do,” West Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison said. “They tell us if they want to adopt a senior, an individual or a family. That’s all they know.”  Morrison will let the donors know little more than a family consists of two parents, their clothing sizes and the ages of the children. The secret Santa takes it from there and brings the gifts to the Township office.  …

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Runners’ Idea Fills Food Pantry

Creators of Three Guys and a Truck credit Morrison for effort.

When Don Bruss, Carl Berg and Paul Zavagno walked into West Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison’s office 10 years ago little did the four of them know that meeting would fill half the township’s food pantry for a year.  The three Deerfield men got the idea while out for a run together 10 years ago. They also got an education and became solid supporters of Morrison, now seeking a seat in the Illinois state Senate to replace the retiring state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest).  “If you are out running for a long time you keep talking,” Bruss said of the day he Berg and Zavagno came up with the idea that became Three Guys and a Truck. “The longer we ran the hungrier we got. We wanted to use running to benefit people.”  Bruss, Berg …

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