Help the Windy City by Donating to These Charities
The coronavirus pandemic has stress-tested many of the nation’s most essential — and vulnerable — workers, from health care professionals to workers in many different Chicago industries.
If you’re quarantined at home like most of us, and looking for a way to help, then look no further. You can still make a difference without leaving your home by supporting the Chicago organizations that need donations.
If you’re willing to donate your time or expertise, that’s here as well.
Since Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order in March 2020, many nonprofits have struggled to maintain the same level of donations and operations as before the pandemic.
Many of the biggest nonprofits in Chicago had to cancel major fundraising events, and are worried that donations will be impacted by the continuing restrictions of the pandemic. Many of these groups are vital to the health of the city, and they need money to continue operating.
Here are some of the organizations most in need of your support:
Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund
This collaboration of the City of Chicago, the Chicago Community Trust and the United Way of Metro Chicago aims to distribute funds to the local nonprofits and organizations that need it most.
Their website includes a list of more than 100 organizations they support, including the Alliance to End Homelessness, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Hispanic American Community Education and Services Inc., Food & Emergency Services, Farm Worker Advocacy Project, South Suburban Housing Center, Salvation Army and many others.
This school on the South Side needs donations to continue their programs helping at-risk children and their families as they try to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
Ryan Banks Academy first opened its doors in September 2018. It operates currently as a day school only, with plans to become Chicago’s first urban boarding school. This school empowers students from all socioeconomic backgrounds into the “next generation of leaders, thinkers and world-changers,” according to their mission statement.
“Agile, learning-based and committed,” the mission of the school is to assist students and families with the investment required to help each student thrive.
This charity probably needs no introduction. One of the most well-respected charities in the country, it has operated in Chicago for more than 40 years. The Ronald McDonald House has five locations in Chicago and surrounding areas.
The organization always relied “heavily on volunteers,” according to the Chicago Tribune. Their volunteers help shop for food, prepare meals, complete chores, and other tasks.
So if you’re looking to donate money, this is a great place to put it. If you’re willing to donate time, that might be even more valuable for this stellar nonprofit organization.
Even a year after the pandemic, many Americans in general, and Chicagoans specifically, endure the hunger from a lack of food. The pandemic has worsened an already difficult problem.
If you don’t have the money to donate, there are other ways to help and still stay safe. You could make meals yourself, use your vehicle to help make food deliveries, or just volunteer with the administrative tasks that these organizations always need more help with.
Connections for the Homeless, for example, serves individuals throughout the northern suburbs who are homeless or experiencing difficulty in their current housing situation. The organization has a volunteer site that offers several times throughout the day when volunteers can make meals or pack bagged lunches.
These are not the only organizations in need of our support, of course. There are many more. But as long as you’re helping one of the many nonprofits in Chicago, you’re making the city a better place for all of us.