The Hoffman Estates Police Department and the Hoffman Estates Police Charitable Foundation are once again coming together to help local families in need this Thanksgiving with the annual Cram the Cruiser Food Drive.

This drive-thru event will be held on Friday, Nov. 13 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Hoffman Estates Police Department, 411 W. Higgins Rd. Drive through to drop off non-perishable food items, and members of the HEPD and IKEA will be on hand to collect donations and assemble the meal bags.

All donations will help us put together Thanksgiving meal baskets for Hoffman Estates families in need this holiday season. We are grateful for the support of IKEA for their donation of the bags used to package the meal baskets. In 2025, we provided meals for 83 families! Please donate help us support even more families this year!

Items needed:

• Foil roasting pans
• Boxed/bagged mashed potatoes
• Jars/packets of gravy
• Boxed/bagged stuffing
• Canned sweet potatoes, and pumpkin
• French fried onions
• Boxed/bagged corn bread mix
• Marshmallows
• Pie crust
• Boxed dessert
• Turkey/Ham

Donations for the Cram the Cruiser food drive will also be collected in special drop boxes at the Police Department, all four Fire Stations, and at Village Hall Oct. 23 through Nov. 16. Monetary donations will also be accepted. For additional information or to nominate a family to receive a Thanksgiving dinner this year, please email hepcf@vohe.org.