DONATIONS

The Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of New Lenox ask for support by participating in the annual food drive to benefit those who need help in the community.

The Scouts will be distributing paper grocery bags to front doors the first week of November. They will return on Nov. 14 to collect donations.

Elementary, middle and high school students across Illinois collected more than $137,000 in coins to support Olive Garden's 15th annual Pasta for Pennies program benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Among the top fundraising schools in Illinois was River Valley School in Lemont, which collected $4,759.11.

More than $5.3 million was donated by students throughout the nation this year.

During a three-week period, students from 104 schools in Illinois committed to collecting coins to fill jars in their classrooms. The class collecting the most money at each school received a pasta party delivered to their classroom.

The LLS Illinois Chapter is recruiting schools to participate in the 2010 program. To learn more, call 312-651-7358 or visit www.LLS.org.

Nonperishable food for six area food pantries and shelters can now be dropped off at six locations in Shorewood.

Two area churches are sponsoring the drive and are asking residents to donate nonperishable food Nov. 2-15 at the following locations: the Shorewood Fire Department station No. 1, Shorewood Police Department and Troy-Shorewood Public Library. The churches participating are Holy Family Catholic Church and Hope Lutheran Church in Shorewood.

Food can also be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Nov. 14-15 at Holy Family Catholic Church, 600 Brook Forest Ave. (Route 59).

This is the third year the churches have run the Harvest Weekend.

For more information, call 815-725-6880, ext. 227.

Lincoln-Way Area Business Women's Organization Holiday Auction will be on Dec. 2 at New Lenox VFW on Vine Street north of Route 30. Featuring fun, food, festivities, dinner, music and cash bar.

Tickets cost $20. For more information, call Judy Niemann at 815-485-2724 or Mary MacKenzie at 815-464-5409.

Proceeds benefit the LWABWO Scholarship Fund (scholarships to Lincoln-Way High School seniors and women continuing their education).

As the winter months approach, college student Bethany Kerr of Joliet serves others by knitting and crocheting items to be distributed to the homeless in Chicago and the suburbs.

Kerr, a junior at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, leads a student club called Caring Hands, a group of students whose mission is to love "not only in word or speech, but in truth and action" (I John 3:18).

Funding for Caring Hands is provided by the college's student government.

Creekside Elementary School physical education and health teacher Jeff Peterson doesn't want any of his students or their siblings to be left out in the cold this winter, so he's organizing a Warmth for Winter campaign.

The campaign is designed to assist the school's families during the current economic downturn.

Peterson decided to set up a giving tree at the school. He sent home letters to Creekside families asking for donations of coats, mittens, hats and gloves. For each donation, the Creekside students or staff members color a picture of the item they donated and hang it on the tree.

The "Warmth for Winter" campaign will run through the beginning of parent teacher conferences on Nov. 18. During the conferences, Peterson will have tables set up for parents to pick up items for their children. Creekside is at 13909 S. Budler Road in Plainfield.

More than a dozen Target employees descended on Oak View Middle School in New Lenox on Oct. 17 to give the school's library and atrium areas a makeover courtesy of three grants totaling $1,500.

The grants, part of Target's Library Makeover program, allowed the school to purchase hundreds of books that Target volunteers helped categorize after they painted a new mural in the library and cleaned up and organized the library and two atrium areas.