Lake County in 60 seconds

Students can pitch in

Vernon Hills High School students are encouraged to purchase and wrap holiday presents for families served by Maristella, a Libertyville social service agency. Cash donations and gifts cards will be accepted, too. For details, call (847) 932-2039 or e-mail monica.tolva@d128.org.

Help for the holidays

Wauconda Township will distribute coats, hats, gloves, pajamas and toys collected through Toys for Tots to low-income families from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at the township community hall, 505 W. Bonner Road, Wauconda. For details, call Glenn Swanson or Melissa Garcia at (847) 526-2631.

Climbing stairs for charity

Members of the Lindenhurst Health and Fitness Club recently climbed 103 floors of the Sears Tower to raise $3,200 for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and support cancer research. Members include Susan Moeller, Amy Bathery, Frank Hayes, Tonia Baxter, Scott Moeller, Howard Schnitzer, Jeff Waters and John Myers. The team will accept donations until Dec. 12 at the Web site goverticalchicago.org via the team name Bootkickers.

Food, book drive

Cook Memorial Public Library District is collecting canned food and new books to help stock local food pantries this holiday season. Donations are being accepted from Nov. 19 through Dec. 19 at the main library, 413 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville or the Aspen branch, 290 Evergreen Drive, Vernon Hills. The annual "Food for the Body, Books for the Soul" program encourages the public to donate canned goods and unwrapped new books for kids, teens and adults. The books will be delivered with the food to the Libertyville and Vernon Area Township food pantries. Visit cooklib.org or call (847) 362-2330.