Kewanee’s cherished holiday tradition, Good Fellows Baskets, marked another triumphant year of community spirit in 2025. Volunteers delivered food boxes to 950 households, brightening the season for families facing food insecurity. Students from Kewanee and Wethersfield High Schools joined forces, with over 300 students assembling boxes. Thirty-three adult volunteers drove deliveries, supported by organizations like Kiwanis and OSF. Community generosity saw $25,000 in donations, $6,000 raised from Tag Days, and 6,500 canned goods collected by area schools. Each box brimmed with essentials, including a ham, dairy, fresh produce, and baked-from-scratch rolls by the KHS Culinary Department. Local businesses and dedicated coordinators ensured the effort’s continuing success.
Kewanee High School Key Club said in a Facebook post, “The generosity and hard work of Everett and Save-A-Lot foods also make this mission possible. Thank you to Mr. Ken Knowles, Mr. Amron Buchanon, treasurer Teresa Bryner and the board of directors for keeping this project alive and thriving for 60 years! Thank you, to KCUD229 administrators and Kewanee Schools Foundation for your continued support.”
***Photos courtesy of the Kewanee High School Key Club***
The 2025 Good Fellows Christmas Basket:
- 950 households received a basket
- 132 students from Kewanee and Wethersfield High School delivered the baskets to houses
- 33 adult volunteers from Kiwanis, OSF, local law enforcement officers, the Elks Club, and parents drove the students to deliver baskets.
- Over 300 4th-12th-grade students assembled boxes 3 afternoons in a row.
- $25,000 donated by community members, business owners, alumni, and Good Fellows supporters
- $6,000 was collected at the tag days fundraiser, including K-Kids and Builders’ Club members and advisors.
- 6,500 cans and non-perishable items were collected from students and staff at Kewanee, Neponset, Wethersfield, and Visitation
- 1,200 rolls baked from scratch by Mr. Campbell’s KHS Culinary Department
- Each large box contains 1 large ham, 2 gallons of milk, 36 eggs, 2 boxes of butter, 6 dinner rolls baked by KHS culinary students, 8 lbs of potatoes, 2 loaves of bread, spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, 5 apples, 5 bananas, 1 jar of peanut butter, 1 jar of jelly, 1 can of tuna, 1 box of tuna helper, ramen noodles, 2 cans of soup, and 12 assorted canned goods.
