Will You Make A Difference on Saturday, October 21st?

Saturday, October 21, Chicago’s North Shore residents are once again invited to “upcycle” their new or gently used goods that will benefit the clients of 16 nonprofit representatives who will gratefully receive your donations at the Indian Hill Metra Train Station Parking Lot in Winnetka (111 Green Bay Road, Winnetka) from 9am-noon. This annual Volunteer Center (VC) donation drop-off collects nearly 30,000 items each year! See the detailed list on the VC website of the 16 nonprofits and the goods they have requested and start sorting, tagging and bagging them for drop off! Share with your service groups, businesses, and friends.

In addition to the usual requests for non-perishable food and household cleaning and paper goods, all seasons of clothing for all ages from infants through adults, nonprofits will also be accepting gently used books and CDs of all genres, pet supplies, educational games and toys, eye glasses, sporting goods, bikes and MUCH more. Clean out those closets - Spring cleaning in the Fall!

NEW: Technology Collection This Year! The New Trier High School Binary Hearts Club will be collecting Windows desktops and laptops 2012 or later, iPhone 2013 or later, iPad 2015 or later and more. Please visit Binary Hearts-> Upcoming Events for complete list of accepted items. NEW: The VC also welcomes nonprofit Grace Network. Grace Network is collecting travel size shampoo, body lotion and new socks. These basic necessities will go to their partner schools throughout Chicago. NEW: We are proud to announce Cradles to Crayons will be accepting children’s clothing and new school supplies. Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth to age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive. See the Cradles to Crayons website for a more detailed list of what they need!

The VC also welcomes back many nonprofits. One returning recipient organization, Share Our Spare, provides valuable support to infants and toddlers who are living in poverty and are lacking the essentials like diapers, formula and other equipment and essentials that will give them a healthy, safe start and their parents the opportunity to provide one. This year, Share Our Spare will also be accepting infant and baby clothes. Visit the Share Our Spare website for more details on what they will accept.

Additionally, the Make A Difference Day page on the Volunteer Center's website lists the sites and the nonprofit's goods they're taking.

In order to make the drive through efficient, we ask donors to please only donate those items on the list and to please sort, label and bag all donations by nonprofit and the volunteers will take them from the cars directly to each nonprofit in the parking lot. No boxes please. More info on the VC website. Questions: info@volunteercenterhelps.org