Ingleside couple lends a hand to needy at Thanksgiving

It was late one night in fall 2009 when the idea for Fox Lake Cares was born.

No flyers or advertisements were handed out prior to that evening at Dockers Restaurant in Fox Lake.

There was no call to action looking for volunteers for a community service project. The spontaneous gathering was simply a group of local residents from in and around Fox Lake talking about ways to help people in their community.

Before that night, Linda and George Jackson had discussed how fortunate and blessed they have been in life. They felt an urge to give back to their community, but did not know the best way to go about it.

They were well aware of a popular local golf outing held each year called Dockers Duffers, which raises money for the Fox Lake Shop-With-A-Cop program.

Not wanting to impede on Dockers Duffers and other events that focus on the holidays – but still using that example of service to the community – the Jacksons had thought doing something around Thanksgiving would be beneficial.

They also knew they wanted to do something whole families could enjoy.

“Linda actually came up with the thought of ... doing something for the families,” said Fox Lake Cares member George Todt. “That really was the start of it.”

Thanks to the Jacksons and other group members, Fox Lake Cares has made the last two Thanksgivings a little bit brighter for needy families in Fox Lake and Ingleside. Prior to each of those special days, Fox Lake Cares members distributed full Thanksgiving meals to families who otherwise might have been unable to enjoy the smell of turkey, pumpkin pie and other Thanksgiving staples.

To the Jacksons, Fox Lake Cares has become the outlet they were looking for as a way to give back to their community.

“It just turned out so beautifully,” Linda Jackson said. “We were on an adrenaline rush because we were so excited about having it done. It was pretty cool.”

In its first year, the Jacksons and others with Fox Lake Cares distributed 100 meals to needy residents they were connected with through the village of Fox Lake. That number rose to 120 families this past year.

During each distribution, each family received a 14-pound turkey and roasting pan, stuffing, instant potatoes, gravy, corn, green beans, yams, cranberries, rolls and a pumpkin pie.

Part of what led the Jacksons to want to do a project for the community at the present time was the downturn in the economy and the increase in the number of families that need help.

"The idea of a needy family today isn't what it was four years ago," George Jackson said. "It's people that have lost their jobs. The whole scope has gotten so much bigger."

Neither George nor Linda Jackson had tackled anything on the scale of what they hoped Fox Lake Cares would become. The couple had numerous questions regarding how to turn their idea into a reality, such as how to connect with families that would receive the meals, the best ways to get the food together and where to host the event, Linda Jackson said.

“If we didn’t have the community backing us up, we wouldn’t be able to do this,” she said.

According to other members of Fox Lake Cares, the Jacksons were the right people for the job.

The initial planning meeting at Dockers involved a lot of ideas being bounced around, but the Jacksons were able to get everything off the ground, said group member and Fox Lake Trustee Kevin Burt.

“Before you know it, they had the thing started and up and running,” Burt said. “The more they do it, the better they get at it.”

The generosity of the Jacksons also was evident throughout the planning of the project. The couple recognized the hard times people were facing in feeding their families and decided to pursue a course of action, said group member Phyllis Bender.

“They wanted to share,” Bender said. “I thought they were sincere and real genuine people that wanted to help others.”

In addition to expanding the number of families who received a Thanksgiving meal this past year, the Jacksons also expanded the giveaway to include items and gift certificates from local businesses. They made sure the donations were for services families really needed, such as oil changes and hair cuts.

Both Linda and George were overwhelmed by the number of families who made up the neediest of their community. Listening to some of their struggles and hearing that without their box of donated food they would not have had a Thanksgiving dinner was not easy, Linda said.

“The first year I had to walk out a couple times because of the stories that some of these families were telling us,” she said. “It was sad. It really tugged at us. It really did. But then we knew we were so doing the right thing.”

In the coming years, the Jacksons plan to keep expanding the reach of Fox Lake Cares. They don’t anticipate ever finding a shortage of families who could use a little boost from their community.

“We’re going to keep doing it until we can’t do it anymore,” George Jackson said.

“We’re not going to take away. We’re going to add,” continued his wife. “All these families might be a little bit surprised this coming year.”

Getting to know ... George and Linda Jackson

Occupation: George is a sales manager at Dayton Superior; Linda is a stay-at-home housewife

Age: George is 62; Linda is 50

Family: The couple has six kids

Village of residence: Ingleside

Education: George graduated from the University of Illinois Circle Campus; Linda graduated from the College of Lake County

Hobbies: George's hobby is boating; Linda enjoys reading, gardening and cooking