Wyndham chef feeds 500 needy families over holiday

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Kevin Jones has been cooking up a Christmas miracle, and it has nothing to do with his culinary talents.

The executive chef at the Wyndham Lisle-Chicago Hotel & Meeting Center is the mastermind behind a Christmas drive that will bring joy and a meal to more than 500 families at the Paul Hall Community Center in Chicago.

“Three years ago on Christmas Eve, I was sitting at home and saw Bishop Paul Hall’s Community Center on the news,” Jones said. “They had run out of food, and hundreds of people were still waiting in the cold. I had 13 turkeys in our freezer at work and knew I could help.”

Jones drove from his Oswego home and gathered the turkeys and other food items from the hotel’s freezer. He personally delivered them to the Chicago community center that evening.

Last year, along with hotel manager Tammy Madajewski, Jones worked with vendors to collect enough food to feed 250 families on Christmas Eve.

This year, 500 families had Christmas dinner, and 1,000 new toys were distributed to those in need. Also, 40 Christmas trees were sponsored and decorated by corporate partners, vendors and local families as part of the annual drive.

Cindi Webb, executive administrative coordinator at Exelon Nuclear, said she decorated a tree along with several co-workers from the company’s Diversity Council.

“When they called us and asked if Exelon Nuclear wanted to sponsor and decorate a tree, we were very excited about it,” Webb said. “It was a good way of getting together over the holidays, and it was moving to see other people doing the trees for this. Chef Jones is such a warm-hearted and sincere person, we really wanted to help.”

Jones said this year they will be able to feed twice as many families as last year.

And it’s just the beginning.

“There are a lot more people out there who are hungry,” Jones said, “but we are making a dent. If everyone tries to make a little dent, we could fix this. Lord knows, we are trying. Bishop Hall has been doing this for 43 years, and my goal is to catch him. I’ve got three years in now, and like Tammy said, regardless of what is going on, we need to pull together and continue to do this.”

Madajewski agreed.

“Donating food, clothing and toys to Bishop Paul Hall’s Community Center on Christmas Eve is our way of giving back to a community deeply in need,” Madajewski said. “We are very grateful to each and every vendor, client, friend and neighbor who will help us provide these items to those less fortunate this holiday season.”

The 26-foot truck hadn’t left the loading dock at the Warrenville hotel, and Madajewski said they were already planning for next year.

“We are learning how to do things better and how to get even more community support,” she said. “Now that the word is out and people know what we are doing, we will be more effective next year. Our hearts are saying this isn’t enough, so we are already planning for next year.”

BY THE NUMBERS

The following food items were distributed to the Paul Hall Community Center on Christmas Eve, thanks to the efforts of the Wyndham Lisle-Chicago Hotel and Executive Meeting Center:

400 turkeys

200 pounds of assorted meat

150 pounds of chicken tenders

300 pounds of onions

150 pounds of carrots

250 pounds of potatoes

500 loaves of bread

2 pallets of assorted desserts

25 cases of Coke products

1 pallet of frozen vegetables and appetizers