Community Corner

ShareFest's 11 Days of Giving Starts Thursday

Find out what to donate and where all the collection points are around New Lenox from Sept. 1-11.

The annual ShareFest volunteering event has grown significantly this year, both in its offerings and the length of service.

ShareFest is an annual event that brings together hundreds of volunteers to work on service projects throughout New Lenox and help others in need through various collections.

This year, the event promises to be bigger and better than ever, in part because it's calling for donations outside of just one weekend and creating "11 Days of Giving." The regular collection drives—including books, toys, food, items for the troops and more—will expand outside of one weekend and last from Sept. 1-11.

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The "main event" is Saturday, Sept. 10 at , and this year adds a job fair, health and safety fair and an additional spot for the collections. or read below for more information about each drive.

Collection Information

Starting Thursday, Sept. 1, there will be many collection spots in town for the various drives. To find out which New Lenox locations will have dropoff points and what they're collecting, hover over the points on the map to the right or click on the PDF attached to this article.

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: Donate various items to hospitalized military personnel, including shampoo, soap, books, underwear and more.

: Everyone is invited to drop off new and gently used books, and there is a book exchange for no charge.

: Clothing items accepted include all textiles such as coats, blankets, skirts, blouses, slacks, jeans, drapes, curtains, neckties, suits and shoes. Proceeds go to Goodwill.

: Home goods accepted include plates, dishes, toys, pots, pans, glassware, CDs and DVDs and sports equipment. Proceeds go to Goodwill.

: Food items will be collected and distributed to our local pantries that are in need of help.

: Donate new toys and gift cards for the Treasure Chest Foundation, which gives toys and more to children fighting cancer.

Get Involved

If you want to volunteer or get involved with any of the projects during ShareFest, contact director Gary Cheney at 815-717-2614 or gcheney@sharefestnewlenox.com. Cheney said he needs as many as 500 volunteers, and he'll talk to each person interested to know what area they'd like to help and when they're available.

If you need help with a certain project, you can email Cheney or submit a form through ShareFest's website.


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