I had about 12 bags of clothes and blankets to donate. They called me to arrange a pickup very…read morequickly. They ended up being able to come even earlier which worked out better. I would recommend them to anyone who has items to donate. Added bonus, you just put your items outside and they come and take it all!

Operation basement makeover kicks off tomorrow, but first I had to get rid of all of our current…read morefurniture occupying our basement. Over the past few weeks I made a list of local organizations that would find good homes for our furniture & remove the furniture from the basement themselves. After reading about the Chicago Chesed Fund I was sold...and even more thrilled when (on a Monday) they told me they could pick up my furniture that Friday. In comparison another local organization told me they were booked until end of July. That didn't help me since all my new furniture would be in by then. I was given a 2 hour window for pick up (12-2pm) and they arrived exactly at noon. Impressed! The driver, Michael, could not have been friendlier. By the time he left my house I was even more knowledgeable about the Chicago Chesed Fund and started thinking about other clothing, furniture, baby equipment and/or even my time that I could give to help. For others interested in donating they only take goods that are in good condition & nothing older than 25 years old. And they won't take sleeper sofas, but there were no issues removing a sectional, entertainment center, nightstands etc from my basement. In fact, they did so in record time. While I called around a bunch of organizations this past week, Chicago Chesed Fund will be the first call I make for donations going forward.

Did you know that one in six people within Cook County don't even know where their next meal will…read morecome from? Did you know that most of these people live in your own neighborhood, go to school with your kids, and pass by you on the street? In 1981, a volunteer at Willow Creek Church (within affluent Barrington) heard that families within the church struggling to put food on their tables. He purchased groceries, put them in his trunk, and gave them away to those in need. People came together and formed the Food Pantry. A few years later, some mechanic friends had the idea to fix cars for single mothers -- for free -- and created C.A.R.S. These services, along with ESL services, legal consulting, and employment counseling became available for those in need within the Care Center (originally the Food Pantry). The Center has been in Hoffman Estates for the past few years with more than 2,000 volunteers. I have been serving for the past six months and am in awe of how much they help the community. Today, on June 3, 2013, the new 60,000 square foot Care Center opened on Willow Creek's main campus in South Barrington. It is absolutely amazing. The center has several dedicated spaces surrounding its' gorgeous waiting area: a large, full-choice food pantry (families in need can come once a month to receive free groceries), a children's clothing store with sizes infant through 14/XL (families can come twice a year and it costs $5 per child), an eye & dental clinic ($20 per exam), a car repair shop, a large Kid's Zone child care center (to watch the kids while parents are using services in the building), classroom space, and a computer lab (to open in Fall of 2013). The Care Center offers ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, as well as a GED course (high school equivalency) for Spanish speakers. Volunteers also mentor at-risk youth through partnerships with local schools. Also available are one-on-one consultations and workshops addressing topics such as job search, résumé writing, networking, and preparing for an interview. Job fairs with local employers are also held throughout the year. Legal services with a trusted attorney are here for anyone who needs advice and cannot afford a layer, as well as tax preparation services during tax season. The center even offers homeless individuals and families overnight shelter on Thursdays during colder months as part of PADS. For people with homes, volunteers can assist homeowners with minor repairs so home is a safe place to live. Most services require eligibility screening. Families seeking care will need to bring photo ID and proof of current address (recent utility bill, lease, mortgage statement, medical card). Some services also require proof of income, proof of child ID, and other information. You can find this on the Care Center website, along with a full description of the services and workshops available. Although this place is affiliated with a church, they do not push God on you. They built this to serve those in need within the community. That's it. Don't be wary of coming here if religion is not your thing! If you're looking for a place to volunteer -- this is it! If you're someone in need of these services -- come here!! You'll be amazed. (I actually wrote too much in this review and maxed out at 5000 characters, so I had to cut a lot of information out and just leave the basics! Crazy!)

This review covers Food Services ONLY and does not cover the Care Team, Dental Service, Legal…read moreService, Job Services & Any other services they offer. That being said this facility is a great resource to the community and if you need any type of assistance feel free to reach out to them, they can either provide it or give you a referral to a place that can help. Facility: The facility is large and well decorated, acoustics in the facility favor noise transmission so you'll want to gear up with some ibuprofen if there's a ton of babies in the waiting area on the day you are there because it can get headachy fast! The food pantry area is in the midsection of the Care Center and is well appointed with a wide selection of foods. Unlike other food pantries in the area this one you can quite often and easily find high end foods at. This is great for me because living on Disability doesn't give me a lot of opportunity to shop for upper end foods like fish on my own dime. Don't expect any visit here to be an in and out affair, wait times typically range from 30 minutes to an hour. It is once in a blue moon that you'll get an in and out day. Staff: Volunteers are always helpful and courteous. No problems to report here however around the holidays and Easter they can get a bit pushy. I don't buy the Evangelical flavor of Christianity. Though it's not their fault. They are only doing what management wants. Accessibility: They have automatic doors but they are rarely in working order. This is why they are getting docked a star. If you have automatic doors, maintain them properly please! Grades Facility: A- (acoustics are not preferable to an enjoyable time.) Staff: A (Can't get an A+ with managers that tell volunteers to be pushy about religion in a community service building) Accessibility: B (Fix those doors!) Overall Grade: A

Clean Up-Give Back is a wonderful program that encourages people to care for the environment and…read moregive back to their community. It made me realize that there are still too many parks where trash collection and recycling are not properly enforced. It is heartbreaking to see people dumping garbage deep in the forest, because this pollution harms nature and ultimately poisons us as well. This program showed me that we need to become ambassadors for our future by protecting forests and raising awareness in our communities. We can reduce litter by carrying reusable bags and bottles, disposing of waste properly, and joining local cleanup events. We can improve recycling by learning our community's guidelines, rinsing and sorting recyclables correctly, and choosing products with minimal packaging. We can protect local forests by staying on marked trails, never dumping waste, planting native trees, and reporting illegal dumping. Every small action counts, and together we can make a big difference.

I had a great experience completing my community service hours with Clean Up - Give Back.Org. The…read morestaff were friendly, helpful, and made sure I understood what needed to be done. The work was straightforward and it felt good knowing that the time spent volunteering was actually helping keep the community clean. I would definitely recommend this organization to anyone looking for a positive volunteer experience.

Kudos to this organization for empowering the homeless by giving them the means to help them help…read morethemselves. I work in the Loop and there's pretty much a Streetwise vendor on every corner jockeying for position amongst the other random people trying to get you to part with your money. The Streetwise vendor on the corner by my office building is one of the kindest people I've ever talked to. I smile at him every day, and always buy a Streetwise on Fridays. I wish I could afford to buy one more often, but I have limited discretionary charitable funds. A few months ago, there was a 'vendor profile' tucked in the magazine and I learned about how he came to be homeless. It was a sad story, but he's trying to get back on his feet and regain his life. He wasn't a substance abuser or mentally ill, but an immigrant that had a work accident, didn't have health insurance, subsequently lost his job, and because of it, fell on hard times. He's never aggressive about selling Streetwise, and he makes me smile because he's genuinely appreciative and grateful for every paper someone buys from him. I don't have a lot of gifts to buy this year, so today I gave him $20 for my weekly Streetwise. I thought he was going to cry, then I thought I was going to cry. There but for grace of fate go I, so I shall always support Streetwise as long as I have an extra dollar or two in my pocket.

I'll preface this by saying that I'm generally a socially conscious person. I don't give to…read morecharity, but only because I'm almost as broke as they are, so I can't afford it. For the year I've been in Chicago, I've worked at a cafe. I usually take the bus, and it's a little walk from the stop to work. That's fine. What isn't fine is the damn Streetwise lady yelling *every* time I walk past. She comes in the cafe and uses our bathroom all the time. Whatever. Girl's gotta pee. But she talks incessantly when she comes in. I'm sorry -- I'm waiting on customers. You'll have to take your crazy elsewhere. And she talks about how she's born again. And instead of saying "bye," she says, "be blessed." Thirteen years of Catholic school taught me to be an athiest, so I'm all for *you* finding Jesus. But you can have him, and I don't need to know about it. So for the majority of this year, she's been stationed down the street, in front of Potbelly's. Well, Potbelly's finally got fed up with her. So where did she go? Right in front of Selmare. Fuck! The patio's open, it's beautiful outside, little kids are running around too fast for their little legs, and every five seconds you hear the chorus of "Streetwise, Streetwise, help the homeless, only a dollar" over your chopped salad or breakfast burrito. I'll give you a hundred dollars if you shut the fuck up, and get away from my restaurant..

I spoke to Jaime McTighe (account mgr.) about recycling some stainless encoders we purchased. I was…read morestruck by how sharp and professional she is. We didn't do business this time, but I'll call her first on the next go-round.

So glad to have this resource rather than adding to landfills. Workers were very helpful as they…read moredirected my vehicle to unloading location. After filling the red bin, materials were weighed. Left with money and more space in garage. Yea!

I am glad that the City has facility to recycle electronic and rechargeable batteries with…read moredifferent times and days open, so go online to check. I had an old TV and printer I needed to recycle. Arrived on North Branch Street and there are big signs to at lease tell you where to drive up to but there are no exact way to know how to park. It seems depending on who you see first, they get a bit offensive on the exact way you park to drop the electronic off. I had a few motherboards to recycle and was told they do not take those even if they were off of a TV. Looks like if the parts look like a TV they take it and if they are just boards off a TV. They reject it.

The workers there were great. I don't understand the other reviews because these guys were eager to…read morehelp, friendly, and even lifted a heavy printer without me asking. I dropped off electronics and chemicals and both experiences were wonderful and quick. Also, they were open when their website said they'd be open. Just make sure to check their days and hours before going. The website will also let you know what is and is not recyclable.

We have been using Block Bins for about 2 years now and love it! I would highly recommend them if…read moreyou are looking for a compost solution that helps the environment and the community. Their customer service is extremely responsive though I only had to use it once when we moved. Our family loves pizza and we finally have a place to put all the boxes vs. a landfill. Our bin is always clean and we have never had an issue with any rodents or other pests. My neighbors are onboard as well so we can give our kids some education on helping our environment!

We had Block Bins install a bin for compost and we love it. They were very communicative and…read morepunctual. Would highly recommend them if you're looking to give back to the environment a bit!

Easy to find. Two attendants were very helpful. Easy drop off. Parking available. Recycled. Our old…read moresatellite TV equipment.

If you don't have recycling at your home or apartment, or you have a lot of stuff to get rid of at…read moreonce, it's worth a visit to the ward yard to drop it off. Depending upon when you come there may be a lot of space. I've rarely encountered more than a couple other people here at a time, so don't worry about it being too busy.