When Harrison Mellon was considering what to do for his Eagle Scout project, he saw some migrant children sitting outside a local grocery store and wanted to find a way to help them. He decided to collect school supplies, and contacted his parish, Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph, to see whether it could host the drive. Mellon, 16, is a 2022 graduate of the parish school and a DePaul College Prep student. Friends, family and parishioners turned out the morning of Aug. 10 to fill more than 250 backpacks with everything from pencils and folders to toothpaste and toothbrushes. Mellon began collecting the supplies before the end of the school year, running supply drives at local Catholic schools. In July, he created an Amazon wish list where people could purchase supplies. “This is important because I feel like this is my duty to God and my community,” Mellon said of the project. “I wanted to do something meaningful to me. Not just something to check a box.” Once filled, the backpacks were distributed to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the city of Chicago to distribute to migrant children. Mellon’s twin sister, Madeline, was one of the volunteers who helped with packing. “Going back to school, I love getting new supplies, so it was really important for me to help out,” she said. Mellon’s mother, Catherine, was happy when her son told her about the project. “I was excited that Harrison saw a need and that he was tuned in to what is going on in the news and in our city,” she said. The project will have a lasting effect on her son, she said. “I think this will better help him serve the community in the future,” his mother said. “I think he will see needs that some people might just not think anything of.” Father Lawrence Lisowski, the parish’s pastor, stopped by the event. “He’s an alumni of our school and living out his Christian values in helping to serve those who are less fortunate. It is fantastic,” Lisowski said of Mellon’s project. Ministry coordinator Elly Rodriguez was also on hand to greet people. “I thought it was a great idea to partner with the church just because ICSJ has a mission to be Jesus’ face to the world,” Rodriguez said. “We’re always looking for different ways to engage with that, specifically community outreach.” Providing migrant children with new school supplies does just that, she said. “We’re really proud to have someone from our school, an alum, be really living out the mission that we’re trying to instill in all of the people that pass through our church,” she said.