Teen Revs Up Another Food Drive Run for Easter

Marley Majetic is on a new leg of her mission. The charity-minded teen, who started up a food drive called The Marley Project, is working with the Oak Forest Youth Commission to help feed the hungry this Easter season.

Three drop-off spots will be available through April 24: the , , and Tinley Park Community Church.

"It was a mutual thing," said Marley's mother, Lisa Hines, of her daughter starting up this month's drive.

Marley is a member of the youth commission, so the pairing seemed natural. The food collected at the Oak Forest locations will be added to the collection at St. Damian's food pantry; the food collected at the Tinley Park church will go toward their own.

Patch readers might remember meeting Marley in December, when the city decided to join in her mission—after a personal commendation from Mayor Hank Kuspa. Hines stressed the Marley Project collects donations and food items year-round, not just at Eastertime. Both Marley and her mother said they would like the Marley Project to have its own pantry in Oak Forest in the future.

Marley's mission was inspired by one trip to San Francisco when she was 10, Hines told Patch in December.

"Three years ago on her birthday and Christmas, she asked that all her money go to food for the homeless so we gathered her money and bought food," Hines said. "My dad had a Sam's Club membership so we bought as much food as possible with the money but then we didn't know where to bring it so we asked our church."

The Marley Project has recently attained nonprofit status, but are still finalizing details to become a 501c3. They would also like to secure a local storage spot for the donations, Hines said.

"It's coming along," Hines said of narrowing down a storage space. "Then we'll start knocking on doors, so we can provide people in Oak Forest with food on a weekly basis."