Rock On WXRT!

Yesterday, a few of us from the Lincoln Park Community Shelter had the privilege of visiting the WXRT studios for a tour, and to pick up the check from the sales of the ONXRT Live from the Archives Vol. 13 CD.  We didn't know exactly how much to expect, but the final amount exceeded our wildest expectations--$25,000!  

What impressed me more than the gold records or autographed concert posters on the walls (Wilco, anyone?), was the enthusiasm of everyone we met there.  The staff were very gracious and had kind things to say about the work that we do.  The WXRT staff told us that LPCS was chosen as the local recipient of the sales because they want to have the money raised make an impact in the local community (there is also a global or national partner each year).  They also recognize that because we are a small organization, the funds raised from the sales of the CDs will really have an impact on what the organization is able to do.  

Thank you WXRT for supporting the work that we do, and helping keep Chicago a vibrant (or should I say rockin'!) community!

--Heather Pressman, Community Relations Manager

Thank you for Having A Heart, Lincoln Park!

During the month of February, if you had walked down the stretch of Clark Street between Webster and Diversy, you might have noticed bright yellow and pink flyers in the windows of many of the businesses advertising the Have A Heart drive.  If you looked closer, you would have noticed that the Have A Heart drive was for the Lincoln Park Community Shelter.  For the second year, LPCS partnered with merchants along Clark Street to host boxes to collect cereal, coffee, oatmeal, and other non-perishable breakfast items.

If you are an avid reader of this blog, you might be thinking to yourself, "I thought volunteers made breakfast at LPCS," and you would be correct--on some mornings they do.  The opportunity to make breakfast at LPCS is fairly new, so there aren't volunteer groups scheduled every morning, which is where the food drive comes in.  On the mornings that there is no breakfast group, LPCS provides cereal, coffee, oatmeal, and other breakfast items.

The idea for the breakfast food drive stemmed not only from our need for donations, but also from the idea of giving back to the community that has supported us so well for the last 27 years.  Being a community based organization that was founded by a group of concerned neighbors, LPCS likes to give back when it can, in the ways it can.  One of these ways is by encouraging people to shop locally since it has been shown to help with economic sustainability. 

Thank you to all of the individuals who donated to the drive.  While we didn't collect as much as we had hoped, we are grateful for everything that we did collect.  Thank you to Abeille Beauty, AKIRA, BankFinancial, Cycle Smithy, Floyd's Barbershop, Frankie's on the Park, Holtzmann's, Lincoln Park Market, Nest Furniture, New Balance Chicago, Panache, See Eyewear, Siena by Maria, and Spex for participating in this year's drive.  A special thank you to Big Apple Finer Foods who made the generous offer to donate any additional needed items after the drive was over.

We look forward to partnering with the community for the Third Annual Have A Heart drive again next year!