7 Ways to Give Back Across Chicagoland

As the holidays approach, giving back is a great way to kick off the season. Whether you’re looking to give back in the form of time or monetary donations, there are many organizations across the Chicagoland area that could benefit from extra support. Read on to learn the ways you can start a new tradition, while lending support to those in need.

Blessings in a Backpack

This organization provides food on the weekends to elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. While these children are fed during the school week, Blessings in a Backpack is dedicated to ensuring they receive nutritional meals over the weekend, too.

How to give:

• Through a one-time gift ($130 will feed one child on the weekends for one 38-week school year).
• Make a donation to a specific school.
• Make a monthly donation.
• Donate new backpacks or drawstring bags.

Cradles to Crayons Chicago

Cradles to Crayons provides homeless or low-income children, from birth through age 12, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school and at play.

How to give:

• Make a monetary donation ($33 helps provide a child with the everyday essentials they need).
• Donate high-quality and like-new items, such as coats, clothing, diapers, baby gear, toys, bedding, etc.
• Create a KidPack (make a monetary donation or purchase items off an Amazon Wish List).
• Host a drive in your community.

One Warm Coat

This organization provides a free, warm coat to anyone in need. One Warm Coat also provides individuals and groups with the resources to hold a successful coat drive. The coats are then distributed in the communities where they were collected.

How to give:

• Donate a coat at a participating location.
• Make a monetary donation (every dollar donated warms one person).
• Host your own coat drive.

The Honeycomb Project

With a focus on family volunteering, the Honeycomb Project’s mission is to engage and inspire kids and their families to strengthen Chicago’s communities. Volunteering opportunities are centered around creating meaningful experiences and include events such as helping with conservation efforts in a forest preserve, working at a food pantry, sewing quilts for pediatric patients at hospitals and much more.

How to give:

• Register to volunteer for a project (registration opens the 15th of the month prior to the event).
• Donate your professional skills (in the areas of fundraising, events, photography, research or marketing).

Cara Chicago

Cara is a workplace re-entry program that helps people affected by poverty obtain and keep quality jobs. Most importantly, it helps these individuals rebuild hope, self-esteem and opportunity.

How to give:

• Donate professional attire for men and women.
• Make a monetary donation.

Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly

This non-profit is dedicated to relieving isolation and loneliness among those faced with aging alone. The organization provides friendship, conversation and connection to thousands of elders who no longer have relatives or friends to rely on.

How to donate:

• Visit an elder you’re matched with based on shared hobbies and interests by spending an extra hour a few times a month.
• Provide holiday help for the organization’s three big celebrations across the city on Thanksgiving, Christmas and in the spring. You can volunteer as a holiday driver, or for pre-holiday prep, event set-up, hospitality or cooking.

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Since 1977, Ronald McDonald House Charities has kept families together with their hospitalized children across Chicagoland. Every night, the organization keeps families close to the care and resources they need at five area Ronald McDonald Houses and three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms. Helping families stay close to their hospitalized child supports the child’s health and well-being, while saving families more than $10 million in annual hotel and food costs.

How to donate:

• Volunteer your time in the form of cooking, cleaning or comforting.
• Cook a home-cooked meal for those at the Houses and Family Rooms, through Meals from the Heart, which saves them from the stress of cooking and expense of dining out.
• Bake cookies through Cookies from the Heart, which provides homemade treats to help them feel comforted and at home.
• Purchase new, unused items from the wish list, such as unwrapped snacks, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, gift cards, postage stamps and more. Supplies can also be ordered through Amazon Smile.