D202's Backpack Food Program Celebrates 10 Years, Introduces Inaugural Hope Award

PLAINFIELD, IL — Bags of Hope, Plainfield School District 202's backpack food program, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and the nonprofit is launching the Hope Award to celebrate.

The nonprofit, founded in 2016 and run by a board of volunteers, will host its anniversary celebration from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at The Parsonage Events, 24012 Lockport St.

The event will be highlighted by the presentation of the inaugural Hope Award, which will be given posthumously to Tom Hernandez, District 202's longtime director of community relations. Thought of by many as "the voice" of the Plainfield school district, Hernandez died in 2024 after a battle with astrocytoma.

Hernandez's unconditional support of the nonprofit made him an easy choice for the inaugural award, according to organization founder and president Lana Howe and board member Allison Suchinski.

Bags for Hope delivers backpacks of food weekly to students who experience food insecurity in District 202 and a few surrounding districts. The organization gives out an average of 280 bags a week, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, that number was more than 500 a week, Howe said.

The program also provides boxes of food for families during the summer as well as at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"One memory that stands out is when he stopped by (Plainfield) Academy with a food donation on a Wednesday — even though it was his wedding anniversary," Suchinski said, per a news release from District 202. "His dedication truly reflects the spirit of the Hope Award."

Board members said the program is important because it ensures that students have nutritious food on weekends when they do not have a free breakfast or lunch at school.

"It provides peace of mind for families and helps students return to school on Monday ready to learn," Suchinski said in a statement.

Tickets to the anniversary celebration cost $45 and can be purchased online.