Neighbors in Need returns: How you can help fellow suburbanites this holiday season
Ask anyone working in the charity sector their ultimate goal and they likely will tell you it's for their organization to cease operating, because that means the need it fills no longer exists.
It would mean every person has a safe place to live, enough to eat and access to health care.
Until that utopian day, charitable organizations continue their work. And agencies like the Robert R. McCormick Foundation continue funding their efforts.
Since 2017, the Chicago-based foundation has granted more than $200 million to nonprofit organizations across Illinois. This year marks the second Daily Herald/McCormick Foundation partnership as part of the newspaper's Neighbors in Need campaign to assist agencies that address hunger, homelessness and health care disparities in the suburbs.
“As long as the need is there, it's a partnership we hope we can continue,” said Sonia Mathew, a senior program officer with the foundation whose mission is to “invest in people and organizations across Chicago and Illinois to develop educated, informed, and engaged communities."
To that end, the McCormick Foundation will contribute 50 cents for every dollar readers donate. That means for every $1, $1.50 will go to charities operating in the suburbs.
“The Daily Herald has always told stories about neighbors helping neighbors, so our partnership with the McCormick Foundation is a natural fit for us,” said Daily Herald Vice President Eileen Brown.
The inaugural Neighbors in Need campaign concluded with five local charities receiving $10,000 each in donations.
“This year, we hope to raise even more money for these worthwhile causes,” said Brown. “It's always gratifying to see how generous our readers are, and with the McCormick match, it's a great way to help others this holiday season.”
Last year, 174 donors contributed $34,000, and the foundation contributed $16,000 to the campaign, Mathew said.
“The hope is to be able to grow those donations during the (holiday) season,” she said. “Through this campaign, the Daily Herald readers are able to support their communities, give back to those in need and make a difference in addressing those issues we all care about.”
To donate to Neighbors in Need, see dailyherald.com/neighbors.
The organizations that will receive donations from this year's Neighbors in Need fundraising campaign include:
DuPage Health Coalition, Carol Stream. The coalition provides affordable health care to low-income DuPage County residents, including primary care, medications, hospital and specialty care.
Hesed House, Aurora. The second largest homeless shelter in Illinois, Hesed House assists newly homeless families and people facing homelessness. The organization operates an emergency overnight shelter, a family shelter and a resource center that provides counseling, financial guidance and employment assistance.
Metropolitan Family Services: WeGo Together for Kids, Wheaton, Chicago and other locations. Established in 1857 as the Chicago Relief and Aid Society, the organization provides families with mental health assistance and counseling, legal, educational and adoption services, and assistance for domestic violence survivors.
Northern Illinois Food Bank, Geneva. Operating in 13 counties, the food bank partners with more than 900 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, youth and senior centers, and other distribution centers to provide food to Illinois' hungry.
WINGS, Palatine, Chicago and other locations. An organization that assists survivors of domestic violence, WINGS operates two emergency shelters and provides counseling and mentoring services to survivors.