Get Involved - LPCS Chicago

LPCS has reopened opportunities for volunteers to cook meals onsite. We will increase onsite opportunities in a phased manner over time, slowly increasing foot traffic into the building. There are strict protocols for onsite volunteering, including a limit of 6 volunteers per group. If you’re interested in reserving an onsite volunteer meal, contact Jameela Chaudhry, Volunteer Manager, at volunteer@lpschicago.org. We are excited to see you!

We need your support now more than ever! Until we are able to fully reopen onsite volunteer opportunities, you can continue to support LPCS in the following ways:

1. Sign up to drop off or donate a meal!

During this time, we are in need of food to cover meals for 20 individuals staying at our 600 W. Fullerton shelter and 35 individuals at our 1521 N. Sedgwick shelter. To sign up for a meal shift, please email volunteer@lpcschicago.org. If you’re providing a meal drop off, we strongly encourage ordering from local restaurants to support local businesses! If you cannot provide a meal but would like to make a donation to support a meal or our general operations, you can do so here.

*NOTE: When you prepare food at home, please only make food if you are feeling well. Please be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before you prepare the meal.

2. SIGN UP TO WORK A FRONT DESK SHIFT!

We are currently looking for volunteers to fill limited front desk shifts at Sedgwick. Our current openings are from 7:00am – 9:00am and 6:00pm – 8:00pm. If you are interested in volunteering for a front desk shift, please reach out to Jameela at volunteer@lpcschicago.org.

3. Support our Guests virtually!

If you’re interested in being a Financial Literacy Coach or helping out Guests with job interview prep and resumes virtually, contact Jameela at volunteer@lpcschicago.org.

Volunteer

Volunteers are the life line of our organization; we couldn’t serve over 500 individuals a year without our network of over 1,700 active volunteers. There is a volunteer at LPCS in some capacity 24 hours, 7 days a week! In 2019, LPCS expanded our services with two locations, creating plenty of opportunity for everyone to get involved.

Please note you must be 18 years or older to volunteer at LPCS. However, children of any age are welcome to accompany meal groups with the supervision of a parent or guardian. Upcoming orientation dates are listed below. For more information on individual and group volunteer opportunities, email us at volunteer@lpcschicago.org.

Upcoming Volunteer Orientations (Takes place at 1521 N. Sedgwick)

In order to limit the amount of people coming in and out of our building, we have cancelled all volunteer orientations until further notice. We hope to have them up and running again shortly!

Cooking Meals for LPCS

If you are not comfortable cooking onsite but would like to provide a meal, you can still prepare a meal at home and drop it off or to order a meal from a restaurant for delivery! Breakfasts are dropped off by 7:15am (8:15am on weekends), lunches are dropped off at 12:00pm and dinners are dropped off at 5:30pm. Meals do not need to be individually packaged; staff onsite serves our Guests plated. Additionally, we can warm up food if needed.

If you’d like to donate a meal, please email volunteer@lpcschicago.org to find out open meals and location specifics like Guest count and dietary restrictions.

In-Kind Donations

We rely on the generous support of our community members and neighbors to be able to serve our Guests, Graduates and community clients. This support often comes in the form of in-kind donations. If you have questions or would like to make a donation, please contact us at volunteer@lpcschicago.org for information and/or to schedule a drop off.

At this time we are unable to pick up donations.

We are currently in need of the following items:

Hand sanitizers (both large and individual small bottles)
Water bottles
Alcohol pads
Disinfectant wipes
Kleenex (both big boxes and individual packs)
Paper towels
Toilet paper
Laundry detergent pods
Nonperishable food items
New bedding (sheets, blankets, pillow cases) for twin size mattresses

Our needs are constantly changing and our storage space is limited. Check out our Amazon Wishlist for our most current needs. On our Amazon Wishlist you can purchase items needed and they will be shipped directly to us. Click here to see what we need right now!

Corporate Matching

Matching gifts are a great way to increase your donation to LPCS! Reach out to your Human Resources department to receive the matching gift form to submit with your gift during the same year in which your gift was made. LPCS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all matched gifts are tax deductible. Use the form to below to see if your company matches charitable donations!

Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant information provided by