Barrington’s 4th of July parade kicks off tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. and area businesses and organizations will be up bright and early putting the finishing touches on their floats before they meet at the Barrington High School staging area. Don’t forget that the parade doubles as a food drive! About a dozen associates with Heinen’s Grocery store in Barrington will be pushing shopping carts down the parade route, collecting non-perishable food items for the Barrington and Cuba Township food pantries.
If you forget to bring food to donate during tomorrow’s parade, they’ll be passing out Heinen’s Grocery Bags with a “Keep the Giving Going” theme.
If you’d like to participate, be sure you grab a bag, bring it home, fill it up with food in the coming weeks and drop it off at the Barrington or Cuba Township food pantries at your leisure. Here are the types of donations local food pantries currently need…
Cold and hot cereals
Coffee & juices
Paper products
Laundry detergent
Cleaning supplies
Peanut butter
Canned fruit
Jelly
Juice
Snacks
Pet food
Non-perishable prepared dinners
Toiletries, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.
Canned chicken and tuna
Gas gift cards
Gift cards to local grocery/discount stores in $20 denominations
Denise Tenyer from the parade committee says they started the 4th food drive several years ago because it just seemed like the right fit for our community’s parade.
“Giving back is just wnat we do here here in Barrington. So many people in this community live by that. What better way to continue that spirit than to make it part of the 4th of July, one of Barrington’s great celebrations.”
You’ll find the Cuba Township Food Pantry at 28000 W. Cuba Road in Barrington and can read more about their local efforts at CubaTownship.com/Food-Pantry. Barrington Township’s food pantry is located at 602 S. Hough Street and you’ll find their website at BarringtonTownship.com/Services.
Tomorrow’s parade will start at Barrington High School and continue down main Street, ending at the Metra train station.
This year’s parade theme, “A Star Spangled Salute,” will ignite your patriotic spirit and celebrate Barrington as a great American community. It promises to be another grand celebration complete with lively bands, classic cars, local performers, and decorative floats. There will be awards given following the parade to the float displaying the most patriotism, the best use of the theme, and for the float that best represents the community spirit of Barrington.
For more information about the Parade and the after-party, visit BarringtonParade.com.
