The Midwest Chapter of AICP is hitting the streets of Chicago again, sponsoring a team in this year’s Chiditarod urban shopping cart race and benefit food drive. Their theme this year is “Save Ferris,” referring of course to that ultimate Chicago slacker, Ferris Bueller, star of the 1986 John Hughes classic, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
As with last year’s AICP MW Chiditarod team – sporting the cheeky name “Mission from God,” another nod to Chicago’s filmic legacy – the “Save Ferris” team is crewed by a group of independent freelance production assistants well known in the local production and post communities. They’re led by two members of the AICP Midwest Chapter board, Irec Kriske, Executive Producer at French Butter, and James Shearer, Manager at Essanay Studio & Lighting.
All Chiditarod donations will benefit Nourishing Hope, formerly the Lakeview Pantry, which works to combat food insecurity. To support the Chiditarod team, donation pledges are being accepted at the “Save Ferris” page on the Chiditarod website, located located here.
Food donations for the AICP MW team are being collected at various locations around Chicago. The team needs to collect a minimum of 210 pounds of non-perishable, shelf-stable food items to stock their carts before the event, which takes place on Saturday, March 1. Among the food items most needed, according to the race organizers, are peanut butter, canned beans, canned chili, canned soup, canned stew, canned fruit, canned vegetables and canned fish. Donations are being accepted at the following locations:
- Essanay Studio & Lighting: 1346 N North Branch St.
- Resolution Studios: 2226 W Walnut St.
- Optimus: 161 E. Grand Ave.
- Cutters: 515 N. State St. 25th fl.
- Pilsen Studios: 2303 W 18th St.
- Tessa Films/Quriosity Prods./STORY: 106 N Aberdeen St.
Mushing on the ‘Save Ferris’ team will be Ethan Eldridge, Jaime Herrera, Patrick Jennings, Evelyn Lu, Lilly Miller, Cynthia Morales, Carol Otarola, Anna Pierczynski, Donovan Price, Sam Ramsey, Brandon Stevenson, Luis Trevino and Alex Von Bruchhaueser. Jim Shearer of Essanay Studio & Lighting serves as unofficial trainer/manager/cart fabricator.
Shearer also led the team that built the ‘Save Ferris’ cart that the mushers will propel during this year’s Chiditarod. In a nod to sustainability, Shearer is using the cart frame from the 2024 race to build out this year’s entry.
According to Shearer, last year’s AICP MW Chiditarod team collected over 350 pounds of food and took home the Food Drive Champion trophy, while also raising close to $3,500 in cash donations. “We even got an honorable mention as rookie of the year,” says Shearer.
The “Save Ferris” cart should be easy to pick out of the crowd, Shearer explains. “It will be re-dressed as Ferris’ 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder. We’re also planning a Von Steuben Parade float to tow behind it, so that Ferris can serenade the crowds with ‘Twist & Shout’ and ‘Danke Schoen.’”
Lisa Masseur, AICP Midwest Chapter President and Founder & EP at Tessa Films, notes that the Chiditarod participation grew out of the chapter’s involvement with the annual “AICP Cares” holiday food drive. “Our Chapter serves more than just our local industry — its member production houses, post companies and supporting services — but the larger Chicago community as well,” she says. “Through profits from our AICP Awards Chicago show this past fall, we provided 16,500 meals for those in need through the Greater Chicago Food Depository. During these continuing challenging times, AICP Midwest is committed to easing hunger in our community.”
Midwest Chapter members are urged to come and cheer the “Save Ferris” team as they hit the streets for their epic second outing. For details on the Chiditarod starting point and best places to watch, check out their race info page on their website on their website here.
Now in its 20th year, Chiditarod is a combination charity food drive, fundraiser and, as it says on its website, “chaos generator.” Billed as an “Epic Urban Shopping Cart Race,” the event is essentially a mobile food drive, in which teams drive gaudily-decorated bespoke shopping carts laden with donated food through the streets of Chicago. In addition, the various teams are backed by dollar donation pledges, the proceeds of which are designed to help alleviate food insecurity experienced by those living in food deserts or impacted by rising food costs.
ALSO READ:
What The Mill closing means for Chicago’s VFX industry
