When the federal government shutdown last fall delayed SNAP benefits and left many government employees without paychecks, Marist junior Maddy Imala took notice.
The 43-day shutdown, the longest is U.S. history, affected millions of people, including members of Imala’s extended family, and helped open her eyes to the number of people in need of food assistance in her area, especially after Nov. 1, when SNAP benefits were not paid on schedule.
Imala, 17, decided to do something about it, launching “Maddy’s Mission” with the help of her family. The project includes three “lawn boxes,” containers where people can pick up needed items at any time, in local parks.
“I wanted to give people the option to not have to come face-to-face with anyone,” she said. “When I first started this, I said it was ‘give what you can, take what you need.’”
Imala’s father, Kris Imala, owns a millwork company, Custom Crafters. The company built the boxes.
“Knowing they were going to help people in need, the team got them done pretty quickly,” she said.
Her mother, Joann Imala, is a park supervisor, and helped Imala make the connections she needed to get permission to place the boxes at McKiernan Park, Graver Park and Ridge Park, all in Chicago’s 19th ward.
By the end of November, the boxes were installed and open for drop-offs and pickups.
Each box holds three bins. The top bin is for baby supplies such as diapers, wipes and baby food; the middle bin holds toiletries such as shower needs and toilet paper; and the bottom bin holds non-perishable food.
Imala, a graduate of St. Linus School, launched a GoFundMe to help pay to stock the boxes, and started Facebook and Instagram accounts in the name of “Maddy’s Mission” to spread the word.
Many donors are people Imala knows, including members of her extended family and family friends. Others are people she doesn’t know, or people who choose to remain anonymous.
And, she said, when she checks the boxes each week, she finds items that have been donated anonymously.
On Sundays, she spends a couple of hours after Mass at St. Catherine of Alexandria in Oak Lawn shopping to restock the boxes, and when weather permits, she spends time at McKiernan Park on Saturday to welcome donors or others who want to meet the person behind the project.
Imala said she hopes other teens find ways to make the world better.
“If you have the confidence and you’re fortunate enough to be able to, definitely help those in need,” Imala said. “If you don’t have the confidence and the ability to help directly, help organizations by reposting their stuff online.”