CHIditarod shopping cart race, food drive returns to Chicago's West Loop to help fight hunger

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Creativity taken to another level in Chicago's West Loop for the 17th annual CHIditarod.

More than 500 people showed up Saturday with special costumes, tons of food and decked-out shopping carts. All of it to fight hunger in Chicago.

"You see hundreds and hundreds of Chicago's most creative partiers are also doing a food drive for the city," said Daniel Merlo, Environmental Encroachment Band.

The pandemic forced a virtual event last year but now it's back in person.

"The event in 2020 was one of the last big events in Chicago because a week later the shutdown happened. And so a lot of the people here will be seeing each other for the first time," said Devin Breen, CHIditarod founder.

Some of these costumes and carts take months to create. One group taking on Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."-this group taking on a billy Joel... we didn't start the fire theme.

"Especially sitting at home so much of the last year you had a lot of time to think about what you want to do," said Emily Belke. We're going to be bribing people some shots of fireball Flaming Hot Cheetos, Big Red, Hot Tamales, generally fire-themed snacks to keep people happy."

Rather than racing these creative shopping carts like usual, the event is just a food repack this year at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. But the atmosphere hasn't changed at all, especially with it happening on the warmest day of the year so far.

"Incidentally, this is by far the best weather we've ever had in 17 years, somebody is shining down upon us today," said Breen.