Homeless

Over 200 volunteers of all ages participated in a food packing event March 16 for Fill A Heart 4 Kids.

Fill a Heart 4 Kids is asking the community to help homeless and at-risk youth stay nourished during the upcoming break by filling 800 “Spring Break in a Box” food packages from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 16 at Biddeford Blankets, 13820 W. Business Center Drive, Unit A, Green Oaks.

University of St. Francis in Joliet is among 10 institutions of higher learning in Illinois to get state funds to support programs that assist homeless students. The Illinois Board of Higher Education funds awarded total of $1.7 million in grants.

Fundraiser “Men With Motorcycles” is from noon to 2 p.m. at the Ogle County Brewery, a downtown Oregon business. The event is open to motorcyclists as well as the general public and will include a raffle and drive to Lowden State Park to visit Wright.

Inside her dome tent, Wright has cots, a heater, and a small cooking area. The tent is covered in blue tarps to help keep it warm and dry. She keeps water in jugs, collected from one of the park’s public drinking faucets, and has access to electricity at the campsite.

MorningStar Mission in Joliet is inviting people to experience homelessness for one night in its "Box City of Hope" event on Sept. 8. The event will include dinner, a program and sleeping outdoors underneath a box.

Turning one person’s trash into another’s treasure, the residents of Oak Trace senior living community in Downers Grove have adopted the practice of recycling plastic grocery bags, crafting them into sleeping mats for people who are homeless.

The jury will return Friday to for a second day of deliberations on whether a homeless man is guilty of the 2019 slaying of a hotel guest at Harrah's casino in Joliet.

Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) announced his Community Projects for Fiscal Year 2024, which could bring over $30 million in federal funding to the 6th Congressional District.

Initial plans are to develop a 11,238 square foot building for a new homeless shelter in Ottawa on the existing property. The approximate cost of the new building project will be $3.5 million.

Kevin Watson will become executive director of MorningStar Mission on Jan. 1, 2023. He will replace Sandra L Perzee who will serve MorningStar Mission as its director emeritus.

An event hosted by the McHenry County Continuum of Care to End Homelessness seeks to raise awareness of local resources available with live music and a food truck.

Live bands and a "decades" costume contest are just part of the throwback entertainment in store at the benefit.

Pioneer Center for Human Services will hold its annual Empty Bowls Art Auction this October to raise money for McHenry County PADS, a nonprofit focused on homelessness issues.

Warp Corps Community Outreach will now offer free ride service to Community Power Shower events at Willow Crystal Lake.