DuPage County is signing on to a growing effort to assist veterans and is seeking partners to serve as collection sites beginning this summer.
The county is joining Operation Dropbox, which began in McHenry County in 2018 to help veterans “rebuild their lives” by providing hygiene products, cleaning supplies and basic household goods, the DuPage County Health Department said in a news release. The effort spread last year to Lake County as well.
“Items donated through Operation Dropbox directly help those who have served our nation,” the health department says.
Donations to support Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans
The county plans to host a donation drive through Operation Dropbox to benefit Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton. The shelter operates a program called The Freedom Commissary, which provides free clothing, household necessities and other basic needs to 550 veterans and their families.
“We are grateful to see DuPage County join Operation Dropbox,” MaryAnn Ogilvie, of Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans, said in a news release.”Community partners play a vital role, and we are thankful for everyone who steps up to help.”
Drive seeks businesses, public organizations as donation sites
The health department is preparing to launch Operation Dropbox by seeking businesses and organizations — especially those such as grocery stores, park districts and libraries, to sign up as donation sites. These will become locations where members of the public can drop off anything they want to offer to veterans.
Anyone interested in hosting a donation site can sign up by contacting Kelly Urban at dchd.mrc@dupagehealth.org. The deadline to sign up is June 26; then the health department will deliver necessary supplies to collect donations to participating sites on June 29 and 30.
Added benefit: Supplies to be used in emergency response training
The health department plans one more perk for all of the products donated through the first year of Operation Dropbox.
As part of a state-mandated emergency preparedness training exercise, health department staff members and Medical Reserve Corps volunteers will “use the collected donations to practice unloading and distributing supplies, similar to what would happen during a real emergency,” the health department said in a news release. “This helps ensure the health department is ready to respond quickly and safely when the community needs support.”
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