By Dee Longfellow
For The Elmhurst Independent
A special gathering was held at Grand Subaru on Grand Avenue in Bensenville on the evening of Wednesday, March 22, to honor the Elmhurst Yorkfield Food Pantry (EYFP), the recipients of the dealership’s recent charity campaign.
About 100 guests enjoyed a lavish buffet prior to the presentation, which organizers kept close-lipped about the details. It was expected the amount of Subaru’s donation would be announced at the event, but there were rumors there would be “something more.”
Ryan Drouin, general manager of Grand Subaru, welcomed the audience and began by asking for a round of applause for all of the volunteers present in the room. He spoke briefly about the dealership’s commitment to community involvement through the Share The Love program. Subaru offers car-buyers an opportunity to donate toward one of five charities at the time they purchase their vehicle. Four are national charities, but there is always a local choice as well. This past year, it was the EYFP.
“To be successful you need to make the people around you successful, too,” he said.
Dealership owner Bill Hartigan joined Drouin at the front of the room. He talked about how they choose the local charity.
“We look for people who help themselves,” Hartigan said. “First of all, we look at how resourceful they are with what they have to work with there.
“But when we heard people say their experience [with EYFP] was ‘life-changing,’ that’s when we knew we had the right charity. We couldn’t feel better about this. We appreciate the opportunity to help the betterment of the other people.”
Drouin then called up Kathie Watts, an EYFP Board member, who coordinated the project with Subaru, and presented her with a special award plaque.
“I can’t say enough about Kathie,” he said. “I’ve never met someone so impassioned about a cause. She was just amazing to work with. I still remember receiving a text message from her on Jan. 1 to thank us once again for the partnership.”
Then the moment came — the “giant check” was brought to the front with the amount hidden. The crowd burst into applause when the front of the check revealed a contribution of $100,000. Cameras flashed and tears flowed. But there was more.
While the presentations were going on, an employee at the dealership drove a van into a side area where the group was gathered and opened the back end to show a huge pile of food donations for the pantry.
Drouin drew Kathie’s attention to the vehicle and pointed out the food in the back, noting it was from their own employee food drive.
“But we decided that wasn’t enough,” he said with a grin. “You really need something to deliver all that food in ….”
By that time, the crowd figured out what was coming next and was on its feet applauding as Drouin presented the vehicle keys to a stunned, tearful Kathie Watts.
The remainder of the evening went by with more photos and more celebration.
After the EYFP’s upgrades and improvements over the past few years, including building its brand-new facility, the evening’s celebration really set the course for a bright future.
