A Hinsdale Central High School program that covers groceries, utility bills, dental care and prom tickets for students in financial hardship is collecting donations as a new school year gets underway.

The Families Helping Families committee, run by the Hinsdale Central PTO, connects donations directly to students and families struggling with basic needs. The program started in 2006 after school social workers alerted then-PTO Co-President Lisa Stafford to a family in crisis, according to the PTO's website. The PTO mobilized and later formed a standing committee to keep the support going.

The needs the program addresses stretch well beyond the cafeteria. During the 2025-26 school year, donations covered food and holiday meal baskets, gift cards for gas and medicine, warm winter clothing, calculators, used laptops and sports physicals. Donations also paid for band trip fees, club dues, pro bono dental care, transportation to medical appointments and personal care items for students living in shelters. The committee sponsored students to attend Homecoming and Prom, and covered yearbooks, senior yard signs and family utility bills.

The PTO said on its website that some Hinsdale Central students cannot afford lunch, books or school supplies. Others arrive at school hungry because their families lack money for groceries or proper medical care.

The committee sits alongside the PTO's Insight Collaboration program, which partners with the Hinsdale Central Social Work Department and The Community House on student mental health initiatives. Both fall under the PTO's student and family support umbrella, according to the committee directory.

Denys Kang and Kelly Lawrence are co-chairing Families Helping Families for 2026-27. The committee accepts gift cards from Jewel, Walmart and Target, as well as cash or checks payable to HCHS PTO. Donors should write "Families Helping Families" or "FHF" on the memo line.

Donors and volunteers do not need a student at Hinsdale Central; the donation page can be found here. The committee can be reached at [email protected].