Share Our Spare

Share Our Spare collects new and gently-used items for children ages 0-5 and donates them to low-income families living in Metropolitan Chicago. Items are not available directly: instead, Share our Spare reaches families in need by partnering with local social services organizations that provide their clients with needed social services such as parenting classes, early childhood education, housing referrals, job readiness training, and behavioral health services.

Share Our Spare partners with social service agencies representing 120 zip codes in the following counties: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, McLean, Will and Winnebago.

Cradles to Crayons Chicago

Cradles to Crayons Chicago provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive — at home, at school and at play. The organization provides these items, including children’s clothing, baby clothes, shoes, diapers, car seats, toys and books, free of charge.
For more information, visit Cradles to  Crayons “Contact Us” page.

Chinese Mutual Aid Association

Chinese Mutual Aid Association (CMAA) is a community-based social services agency targeting the low-income immigrant and refugee community. CMAA provides in-home services, adult education classes, citizenship and immigration resources for people from around the world, employment readiness help, community events and more. Staff members speak a variety of languages including Cantonese, Burmese, Mandarin and Vietnamese.

Latino Policy Forum

A roundup of helpful information, including funding, education, housing, immigration, food and more for the Latino community.

COVID-19 Information in ASL

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a series of YouTube videos on COVID-19 with information in American Sign Language.

OSF HealthCare COVID-19 Resource Center

The OSF HealthCare COVID-19 online resource center provides up-to-date information about symptoms, testing, vaccines and treatment. The Center also features the options to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment or chat with an OSF nurse.

 

Self-Care and Tips for Talking With Children and Teens about Mental Health

UNICEF provides tips and resources to help you support your child’s and your own mental health. Resources include a mental health quiz, information on common conditions, videos, and conversation starters to help you talk to your kids. The information is available in several languages.

UNICEF resources also include:

  • Guides to big conversations
  • Self-care for parents
  • How to reduce stress
  • Mental health tips for infants to pre-teens

Salvation Army of Southern Illinois in Marion

The Salvation Army of Southern Illinois in Marion provides financial assistance with food, rent, utilities, and clothing for families and individuals across Bond, Calhoun, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Jersey, Lawrence, Lincoln, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Montgomery, Perry, Pulaski, Scott and Shelby counties.

For questions or food pantry hours, please contact Darla Harms at (618) 993-5854 or darla.harms@usc.salvationarmy.org.

Autism Response Team

The Autism Response Team (ART) is an information line for the autism community. Its team members are specially trained to provide personalized information and resources to people with autism and their families.

(888) AUTISM2 (288-4762) – English
(888) 772-9050 – Spanish

help@autismspeaks.org

NAMI Self-Care Inventory Tool

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Homefront Mental Health Resources include: