Volunteers help with holiday donations in Wheaton

It's been nearly a decade since Shirley Willis called the Western suburbs home.

Still, every holiday season for the last eight years, the former Carol Stream resident makes the trip from her Minneapolis home to spend a few days giving back.

Willis joined nearly 100 volunteers Sunday at the DuPage County Fairgrounds to sort donated gifts as part of the People Resouce Center's annual Share the Spirit program.

"This is just something I love to do," Willis said. "I've made it part of my Christmas tradition."

Stacks of children's toys, hats and mittens, bicycles and other donated items sat piled on tables as donors pulled up throughout the day to drop off goods.

Over the next three days, 850 families served by Peoples Resource Center will be able to receive some of the donated goods.

"We consider it our own little miracle," said Jeanmarie Walsh, a volunteer coordinator for the Peoples Resource Center.

Organizers spent the last few weeks soliciting churches and their members in the area for the donations. Some sent goods from as far away as Arizona.

Organizers said more than 2,700 low-income families live in DuPage and donations are especially needed this year due to the economic recession.

While the resource center has received a fair amount of cash donations, the organization is short on actual gift contributions and hoping generous residents will make up the difference.

To help with the program, you can mail a check to "Share the Spirit," 201 S. Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60187. Make checks payable to "People's Resource Center." Please a name and address on the check so the organization can send a tax receipt. Donations can also be made at peoplesrc.org.