Giving Tuesday: Small Bags, Big Impact

Giving Tuesday Project: Recycling Bags, Restoring Dignity

This Giving Tuesday, Fed Up With Hunger chose to focus on a simple but meaningful need shared by many community organizations — recycled paper grocery bags. Through a community collection effort, we gathered approximately 600 recycled paper bags, turning an everyday item into a powerful resource for multiple nonprofits serving families in need.

Of the total collected, 300 bags were donated to St. Peter’s Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, Northlake, IL to support their Bag & Tag Youth Project, which helps prepare food packages for local families. Another 150 bags were delivered to Libertyville Food Pantry, where recycled paper bags are essential for safely and efficiently distributing food to pantry clients. The remaining 150 bags were donated to Fill A Heart 4 Kids, an organization that shared how grocery bags with handles help keep their operational costs low while allowing more resources to go directly to children.

This project highlights how small, thoughtful actions can create meaningful impact across multiple organizations. By reusing what we already have, we were able to support youth initiatives, food pantries, and children’s programs — proving that sustainability and service can go hand in hand.