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Successful ‘Feed 100 Families Food Drive’ for 2024

From left, Kenosha County Human Services Director John Jansen, Gang Intervention Supervisor Donna Rhodes, Assistant Human Services Director Rebecca Dutter and County Executive Samantha Kerkman tour the entries in this year’s Feed 100 Families Food Drive, with Jansen and Kerkman taking notes as they judged the competition.

That’s the spirit of a friendly competition held each year among staff in the Kenosha County Division of Children and Family Services — a holiday season tradition that repeated itself earlier this month.

The Feed 100 Families Food Drive pits the division’s various service units against one another in a competition to collect the most food and cash donations, and to display the most creativity in how their collections are presented to the contest judges.

Kenosha County Human Services Director John Jansen and County Executive Samantha Kerkman talk with contestants as they judge this year’s Feed 100 Families Food drive.

Staff decorate their office areas in various themes, staging sketches and games, and sometimes doling out holiday treats as they attempt to curry the judges’ favor.

“Once again, the DCFS teams outdid themselves with their creativity and their generosity,” said County Executive Samantha Kerkman, who judged this year’s contest alongside Human Services Director John Jansen. “These staff members work year-round to serve children and families, and then they go above and beyond in helping to put food on the table for those in need.”

This year’s Most Generous trophy went to the Child Protective Services Unit, which reached out to organizations and individuals in the community to help boost their donation total.

Members of the Kenosha County Division of Children and Family Services’ Child Protective Services Unit pose with the “Most Generous” trophy that they received in this year’s Feed 100 Families Food Drive. Pictured, from left to right, are Human Services Director John Jansen, Emily Hawkins, Jean Abell, Olivia Sampica, Aaliyah Prescott, Jen Malechek, County Executive Samantha Kerkman, Kim Leitl, Arianna Simpson, Al Smith and Caitlin Eiben.

The Ongoing Services Unit took the award for Most Creative with its sendoff on the “Supermarket Sweep” gameshow that sent Kerkman, Jansen and Assistant Human Services Director Rebecca Dutter running down the “aisles” of the unit’s office cubicles, racing to fill toy shopping carts with the most valuable grocery items. This team was a strong competitor for both awards thanks to donating $1500 in cash and gift cards in addition to many food items.

Members of the Kenosha County Division of Children and Family Services’ Ongoing Services Unit pose with the “Most Generous” trophy that they received in this year’s Feed 100 Families Food Drive. Pictured in front row, from left to right, Coretta Malone, County Executive Samantha Kerkman and Katie Schroeder; in middle row, Jessica Brennan, Ashley Daniel and Melinda Bowens; and in back row, Rachael Bellaire, Chelsea Gotz, Liz Callies, Human Services Director John Jansen, Alesha Brereton, Sarah Hansen, Jackie Stoneberg and Heidi Schubkegal.

Other competing groups included the Prevention Services Network, the Youth Justice/Clerical Unit and the DCFS management team.

Staff purchased the food items and decorated their work areas during non-working hours, making it a true volunteer effort all around, noted Gang Intervention Supervisor Donna Rhodes, longtime coordinator of the event.

“The staff absolutely love to be able to use their creativity, to compete against one another, and to give back to the community,” Rhodes said.

More information about the Kenosha County Division of Children and Family Services and its various service areas is available at https://www.kenoshacounty.org/241/Children-Family-Services.

Kenosha.com Writer

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