Community Gems: Patch Picks

Meet people, network, get involved in a worthy cause! If you have some spare time to touch another life or are looking for a charity that your club, scout troop, church or workplace can support, here are some local charities that would be glad to see your smiling face.

• PLOWS (Palos, Lemont, Orland, Worth Townships) Council on Aging needs drivers to deliver well-balanced meals to their clients who are homebound or unable to prepare their own meals.
• is always looking for volunteers to prepare a meal and help out with events and donations of household items in support of guest families while their children undergo medical treatment
• COURAGE at St. Germaine Church in Oak Lawn supports pregnant young women and single parents with practical help and resources and provides them with classes and counseling designed to assist them in making important life decisions on a variety of issues.
• Share Your Soles in Alsip will make sure your donated new and gently-worn shoes get delivered to some of the most desperately impoverished people in the world.
• South Suburban PADS is always looking for volunteers to help out at host churches providing overnight shelters to homeless adults and families between Oct. 1 and April 30. Emergency shelter sites have many and varied needs.