Faith Groups Give New Meaning to Labor Day

Representatives of 16 churches and synagogues in Deerfield, Highland Park, Northbrook and Lincolnshire decided to put labor into Labor Day.

Instead of a day it turned into a Week of Hope for the 16 members of the Southeast Lake County Interreligious Council.

“We wanted to get the congregations together to do service here in town,” Pastoral Associate Mary Ann Spina said. “We thought on Labor Day we should do some labor and it turned into a week. We wanted to give in the local area.”

The projects included Thanksgiving cards for seniors, making fleece blankets for the Project Linus, buckthorn removal in Highland Park and Deerfield, Heller Nature Center trail maintenance, Ryerson brush clean-up, cleaning and collecting food for the West Deerfield and Moraine Township Food Pantries, collecting books for Bernie’s Books, painting for the Deerfield Park District, baking for First Responders, making pet toys for Orphans of the Storm, cleaning the Center for Enriched Living, landscape work for the Deerfield Park District, bingo and  fellowship at One Deerfield Place and making meals for PADS Lake County.

West Deerfield Township Supervisor Julie Morrison was thrilled with the extra help at the West Deerfield Township Food Pantry.

“The Day of Hope is a great example of how our community comes together to serve,” Morrison said. “The help that we are able to offer families and individuals who are struggling to provide food for their tables would not be available without the year-round support that we rely upon through the generosity of our residents.”

The participating congregations are St. Gregory Episcopal Church, Deerfield; B’nai Tikvah, Deerfield; Christ United Methodist Church Deerfield; Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, Deerfield; Beth Chaverim Humanistic Jewish Community, Deerfield; Zion Lutheran Church, Deerfield; Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit, Lincolnshire; Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue, Northbrook; Congregation B’nai Torah, Highland Park; Park Trinity Episcopal Church, Highland Park; Trinity United Church of Christ, Deerfield; First Presbyterian Church, Deerfield; Christ Church, Highland Park; North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park; Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation, Highland Park and Baha’i Spiritual Assembly, Deerfield.