Nourishing Hope helps individuals and families in Chicago by meeting them where they are to overcome barriers. Help includes food programs, trauma-informed mental health counseling in multiple languages, domestic violence support and a wide range of social services. Nourishing Hope offers a choice-based food distribution program that also includes:

• Monthly food distribution and additional produce pickups through five different food access programs.
• A home delivery services for people with disabilities, older adults and homebound neighbors.
• Life-changing social services such as case management, job search support, domestic violence intervention and public benefits assistance (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, healthcare, government forms).

The Kids’ 4 Good Center in Eldorado provides children from ages 3 to 17 a unique opportunity to learn about generosity and giving back.  The “Youth Character Building Program” provides an opportunity for children to shop for their own needs and also select resources to give to others in need within their community. The Kids’ 4 Good Center and Store is a partnership with the Stress and Trauma Treatment Center, the Fowler Bonan Foundation and 4 Good Community

The Kids 4 Good Store is located on Locust Street in Eldorado. The store is open on Saturdays from from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 and includes:

• Shopping for all kids between the ages of 3 and 17
• A store stocked with Amazon returns
• Opportunities for individuals to volunteer to help children have a free dignified shopping experience

The Center for Accessibility and Neurodiversity (CAN) at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby provides a wide range of supports and services to empower diverse learners. CAN services include:

• Accommodations
• Resources and study skills support
• Success coaching

CAN is on the Oglesby Campus in room C-211. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also make an appointment by contacting Tina Hardy at (815) 224-0284 or tina_hardy@ivcc.edu.

FacingDisability provides stories, hundreds of paralysis resources and up-to-date information on spinal cord injury. The organization works with medical experts from major hospitals, universities and rehabilitation institutions nationwide to provide insight and inspiration. FacingDisability resource topics include:

• Disability advocates
• Family and caregiver support
• Assistive technology
• Financial assistance and government programs
• Education and employment

A Place for Us provides students with disabilities and their allies a space to connect, network and empower one another through peer mentoring that spans from high school through college. This nationwide nonprofit helps students with disabilities succeed in higher education by unifying disability rights activists in colleges across the country. A Place for Us provides:

• A digital network of students with disabilities and their allies to be mentors for high school students and underclassmen with disabilities
• Students with disabilities and disability advocates willing to share their stories
• Nationwide mentors who can help you navigate your higher education journey
• Mentorship opportunities

If left unmanaged, stress can negatively impact our physical health, emotional well-being, relationships, work, and many other things in our lives. To effectively manage stress, one must identify the stressor and take active steps to reduce the impact of the stressor by using effective and individualized coping tools.

Illinois Extension provides this list of resources to help reduce stress and enhance coping skills.

The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is free, confidential and here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week in English and Spanish for anyone who is pregnant or just had a baby.

Trained counselors can listen to what you’re going through, connect you with local support groups and organizations, and refer you to other healthcare professionals if you need more care.

Call or text (833) 852-6262 or (833) TLC-MAMA.

Postpartum Support International (PSI) provides a worldwide network of peer support, information, professional trainings and coordinators in all U.S. states. Its mission is to promote awareness, prevention and treatment of mental health issues related to childbearing in every country worldwide. PSI has more than 400 local support volunteers who provide support, information, encouragement and connection with local providers and support groups.

PSI offers 50-plus free online support groups to connect with other parents, including groups for special needs and medically fragile parenting, birth trauma support, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) postpartum parents and more. PSI also moderates closed Facebook groups for moms and dads.

PSI also has a helpline for anyone to get basic information, support and resources. You can call or text daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. central standard time at:

• Call (800) 944-4773 for English and Spanish support
• Text in English to (800) 944-4773
• Text en Español to (971) 203-7773

Resources are available in English and Spanish.

The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is a nonprofit hospital providing patient care, a research community focused on physical medicine and rehabilitation, clinical trials and a wide range of resources to help with caregiving, adapting and accessibility. Based in Chicago, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab provides help with pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation, spinal cord injuries, brain injury recovery, limb loss and impairment, stroke and more.

Shirley Ryan Abilitylab’s Henry B. Betts, MD, Learning, Innovation, Family and Empowerment (LIFE) Center also offers resources to help empower people living with chronic, cognitive and physical impairments and diseases affecting function. Resource topics include:

• Caregiving and equipment
• Housing and transportation
• Inspiration and hope
• Support and wellness
• Recreation and leisure
• Medical information and care
• Education and employment

BEACON (Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation) is a centralized resource for Illinois youth and families seeking services for behavioral health needs. It streamlines the process of finding and accessing behavioral health services  to help ensure that every child in Illinois can receive the support they need.

BEACON is available to families, state agency staff and healthcare providers across Illinois:

• Families can use BEACON to find services, get help navigating complicated systems and connect with state programs.
• State agency staff can use the public portal to coordinate care across programs.

To learn more about BEACON, you can:

• Download the BEACON flyer in several languages and find training materials on the Illinois Department of Human Services website.
• Read the BEACON frequently asked questions for more information.
• Watch the instructional video on how to use BEACON.