Regional Media Podcast Network

It was another successful year for Good Fellows Baskets at Christmas. The goal of the Good Fellows Christmas Basket program is to make sure no one in Kewanee goes hungry at Christmas. It was another great year for the volunteer efforts of students from Kewanee, Wethersfield, and Visitation, who collected can goods for the baskets and pitched in to help sort the baskets and fill them up to be delivered to families in need just before Christmas. President Amron Buchanan joined Wake Up Tri-Counties to look back at the 2024 Good Fellows Christmas Basket deliveries. Good Fellows delivered 860 food baskets in 2024, which served 2,101 people, and the bill was $35,500. In 2023, Good Fellows delivered 890 baskets, which served 2,417 people, and the bill was $34,000. Mary Simaytis took around 1,000 phone calls for baskets in 2024. Good Fellows received $1,090.24 from Save-A-Lot's "Round Up Program." in December. "We are so thankful for Brad, Everett and the folks at Save-A-Lot for providing the lowest prices possible for the Good Fellows grocery bill and always giving back to the community!"

Meanwhile, donations to help continue the tradition of Goodfellows Christmas Baskets are always being accepted and are always needed so that they can make sure that all the baskets are full. Donations can be mailed to Goodfellows at P.O Box 5 Kewanee, IL, 61443.

A fun little fact: Amron said they told the kids to weigh each size box just to see how much they weighed; the small boxes weigh 28 pounds, the medium boxes weigh 49 pounds, and the large boxes weigh 78 pounds.

The Good Fellows Board of Directors will meet in April to start planning and fundraising for the Christmas 2025 deliveries. Meet the Good Fellows Board of Directors: Amron Buchanan (President), Ken Knowles (Vice President), Teresa Bryner (Secretary), Heidi Abernathy, Danielle Arch, Greg Christakos, Lori Christiansen, Steve Looney, Amy Miler, Gary Montooth, Diane Ruzas, Jessica Seiden, Mary Samaytis, Cassie Stout, Jennifer Vickery, and Chad Young.