Nearly 30 volunteers packed their cars to the brim with boxes and bags to deliver essential items like food and clothing to more than 100 immigrant families in Chicago and Aurora on Saturday afternoon.
The items were delivered to families as part of a broader initiative coined “Operation Midway Bliss,” started by William McNiff as a way of countering the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown named ‘Midway Blitz.’
“This is how I envision society to be,” McNiff said at the volunteering site at the Right Bee Cider brewery in the city’s Hermosa neighborhood. “When there’s someone (who) needs a hand up, people are there.”
The initiative came about when McNiff learned of the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program, which allows charity gift-givers to shop for individuals in need. It inspired him to think of ways he could give back to the city’s immigrant community.
McNiff spread the word about his idea with his more than 41,000 followers on TikTok and it quickly took off. With help from his friend Taylor Krahl, the pair raised more than $10,000 in less than a week through their GoFundMe page.
Krahl said the items that were placed neatly in the corner of a warehouse before being delivered were not just boxes and bags; they represent the people they’re helping.
“Every box represented a family — every bag represented a family,” Krahl said.
Erin Hogaboom, who assisted in organizing volunteers, said that everyone, including herself, who showed up ready to support the families, was their physical way of saying, “We’re here if you need anything.”
Items were given to the families to meet their specific needs, with 170 children also receiving toys for the holiday season.
To reach those in need, the pair partnered with Organización Hijos de Migrantes, which offers support to immigrant families in Chicago.
As a daughter of immigrant parents, founder Sheila Jara said this partnership was deeply personal for her and seeing people get involved has been inspiring.
“This is something very important to me,” Jara said. “Just being here and seeing it with my own eyes has really motivated me to keep going.”
Volunteer Jonny Bishop said he joined the effort for a similar reason. As a child of a mother who migrated to the United States for a better life, he said he got involved to stay active in the community.
“I recognized that she gave me something I can never pay her back for,” Bishop said. “It’s a full circle moment.”
Accompanied with every box were also two to three handwritten notes of encouragement in Spanish for each family. The effort was organized in collaboration with Doreen Sayegh, who was part of “Whistlemania” groups in September that helped distribute whistle kits to alert people of ICE presence.
Together, about 30 volunteers from her Whistlemania network and Operation Midway Bliss wrote nearly 400 cards.
“To know that all of these families, along with much-needed supplies and gifts for their kids, also get to read the words of another neighbor or community member. . . that feels really special,” Sayegh said.
Though their GoFundMe page is now closed, McNiff said they raised nearly $35,000. He said they also donated money to a Los Angeles-based organization that helps Chicago families. Any extra boxes and bags of essential items will be donated to local organizations, he said.
As for Operation Midway Bliss, McNiff said they are still in the process of figuring out what’s next and whether this will become an annual charity event.
But one thing is for sure: he said he’s learned a valuable lesson in pursuing this idea.
“Never be afraid to speak up,” McNiff said. “Never be afraid to start building a community, no matter how small it is to start. You never know how big it can go.”