Donate Items

Turn Your Extra into Extraordinary

A child will sleep safely. Stay warm in the cold Chicago winters. Explore the city in their stroller and the world in the pages of a book. A mom will know that baby is clean and dry and has what they need. You can find purpose for your spare baby essentials and a second life for your gently used baby clothing and items by donating your extras to Share Our Spare.

Donation Checklist

Review our list of accepted items and those we cannot use. Or you can shop our Amazon Registry for our most needed items, which will be delivered to our Sharehouse.

Please do a quality check of your items at home before donating them. All items should be in good condition with no rips, stains, tears, smells, etc. and all necessary pieces should be included.

If you would not be excited to give the items to a child in your life, please recycle or dispose of them properly rather than sending to us.

Drop off donated items at our Sharehouse on scheduled days/hours OR register for our residential pick-up service when our van is scheduled to be in your area. We require a $50 donation for all pick-ups to cover the cost of our staff, gas and van.

Download our in-kind tax receipt.

Supporters of Share Our Spare give diapers

Donation Drop Off Schedule

Mondays and Wednesdays
10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Dates Closed

Thursday, May 2nd – Friday, May 3rd – Shared Future Gala

Friday, May 24th – Monday, May 27th – Memorial Day Weekend

Wednesday, July 3rd – Sunday, July 7th – 4th of July Weekend

Wednesday, July 10th starting at 11:30 am for our annual staff retreat

Friday, August 30th – Monday, September 2nd – Memorial Day Weekend

Tuesday, November 26th – Sunday, December 1st – Thanksgiving

Monday, December 23rd – Sunday, January 5th, 2025 – Winter Break

Donation Drop-Off Instructions

Donations are accepted at 3750 N. Kilbourn Ave. (the back entrance of our Sharehouse location).

The parking lot is located on the corner of Kilbourn directly across from the Metra stop. If you see taxi cabs in the parking lot, you are in the right place. Please park in a parking spot and be mindful of our neighbors and do not block any of the driveways.

Our door to enter the building is located between the loading dock and our neighbor’s driveway. Come down the hall and look for the door that says “Share Our Spare.”

If you have a large volume of items, we have carts available to make your unload easier.

Accepted Items

BRAND NEW ONLY
  • Baby Soap, Lotion, Diaper Cream
  • Baby Washcloths
  • Bibs
  • Bottles & Sippy Cups
  • Burp Cloths
  • Combs & Brushes
  • Diapers & Pull Ups (all sizes, open packs accepted)
  • Formula & Baby Food (unopened & unexpired)
  • Nursing Supplies: Pads, Tubing, Milk Bags, etc.
  • Pacifiers & Teething Toys
  • Period & Perineal Products (open packs accepted)
  • Wipes (unopened)
NEW or LIKE NEW
Large Gear*
  • Baby Swings
  • Bassinets
  • Bed Rails
  • Exersaucers
  • Gates
  • High Chairs
  • Pack N Plays
  • Play Mats
  • Strollers: Single, Double, Snap N Go
NEW or LIKE NEW
Small Gear
  • Baby Carriers
  • Bathroom Gear: Tubs, Potty Seats, Step Stools
  • Boppy & Pregnancy Pillows
  • Bottle Sterilizers*
  • Changing Pads
  • Small Seats: High Chairs, Bumbos
  • Wipe & Bottle Warmers
NEW or LIKE NEW
Essentials
  • Baby Blankets, Sleep Sacks, & Swaddles
  • Baby Towels
  • Books: Children & Parenting
  • Clothing & Outerwear (Children sizes NB-6/7)
  • Diaper Bags
  • Maternity Clothes
  • Monitors & Sound Machines*
  • Plates, Bowls, Utensils, etc. (Toddlers ONLY)
  • Safety Items
  • Shoes (Children sizes 0-12)

*Please ensure all pieces are included prior to donating

Items SOS Does Not Accept

Item & Recommendations
  • Baby Food Processors & Formula Makers (Recommendation: Humble Design, Chicago Furniture Bank, & Digs With Dignity)
  • Breast Pump Motors & Cords (Recommendation: Recycle through Medela or Spectra)
  • Car Seats (Recommendation: Check manufacturer for recycling or buyback programs)
  • Diaper Pail & Refill Bags
  • Diaper Booster Pads & Disposable Changing Pads
  • Furniture: Cribs, Chairs, Mattresses, Changing Tables, etc.
    (Recommendation: Humble Design, Chicago Furniture Bank, & Digs With Dignity-NO CRIBS)
  • Nursery Décor (Recommendation: Humble Design, Chicago Furniture Bank, & Digs With Dignity)
  • Temporarily not accepting the toys (Recommendation: donate to thrift stores, recycle through Hasbro, and any toys that are broken or missing pieces should be thrown away)
  • USED Bottles & Sippy Cups (Recommendation: Bottles are typically #5 plastic that can be recycled)
  • USED Pacifiers, Nipples & Nursing Supplies (Recommendation: These items should be thrown away)

See how Archie turned his extras into extraordinary!

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Alex Goodfellow

Executive Director

Alex has more than 10 years of nonprofit experience, including five years with The Little Bit Foundation in St. Louis, MO, where she directed the organization’s programming and strategic partnerships and contributed to revenue growth of more than 300%. Prior to SOS, she served as Manager of Corporate Partnerships for One Million Degrees, a Chicago-based nonprofit serving scholars in post-secondary programs. Alex also has experience in domestic violence, as well as youth advocacy. She holds a Master’s in Social Work from the George Warren Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Saint Louis University.

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Share Our Spare Bridget Rundquist

Bridget Rundquist

Director of Partnerships and Community Engagement

A native Chicagoan, Bridget is a mission-driven professional with extensive experience serving young people, working in the intersection of education and social work, and building relationships with diverse communities of stakeholders. Bridget holds a Master’s in Social Work from the George Warren Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor’s in History with minors in Education and Psychology from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She spent a semester abroad in Northern Uganda studying Post-Conflict Resolution and has spent several summers in Jerusalem with Project Harmony Israel.

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Jesseca Rhymes

Director of Operations and Development

Jesseca began her career with Apartments.com, where she worked directly with property managers and management companies. She also has served as an assistant property manager with Mercy Housing and as the assignments coordinator at DePaul University’s Department of Housing. In 2015, Jesseca founded Never Go Without, which has donated over 50,000 menstruation and incontinence supplies to individuals in need around the Chicago area. She earned her Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Eastern Illinois University.

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Sade Chapman

Operations Coordinator

Sade (they/them) is a community-oriented service industry professional and administrator with a passion for cultivating care through highly personalized experiences. Sade holds a Master’s in Museum Studies from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a Bachelors’ in Anthropology and International Studies from the University of Washington.

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Get In Touch

Share Our Spare
3800 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60641
‭773-657-3117

Email:
info@shareourspare.org

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Share Our Spare Lou

Louis Macmillan

Driver

Louis (Lou) attended Progressive Truck Driving School in Chicago where he received his Class A CDL license. After working at PGT Trucking, he decided to make a change in occupations and started with Share Our Spare in the fall of 2021. Lou says, “I love my job and our mission! I get to deliver essential items for children and meet a lot of new people doing important work throughout the community. I look forward to what’s to come each day!”

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Sade Chapman

Operations Coordinator

Sade (they/them) is a community-oriented service industry professional and administrator with a passion for cultivating care through highly personalized experiences. Sade holds a Master’s in Museum Studies from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a Bachelors’ in Anthropology and International Studies from the University of Washington.

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Lauren Arbuckle

Program Coordinator

Lauren began her journey as a civic advocate for food insecurity, during her graduate practicum at Columbia College Chicago. Outside her education, she worked as a portraiture photographer and led mental wellness programs for the elderly. The desire to help and preserve individualism in communities has led her towards collaborative work. Her avid background includes media literacy and digital production. She obtained her MA in Civic Media at Columbia College Chicago and BA in Journalism and Multimedia Studies at Roosevelt University.

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Bill Ross

Auxiliary Program Coordinator

After spending years working as a cook and organizing live music events, Bill pivoted to a new field joining the Share Our Spare team in January 2022 as an AmeriCorps VISTA. He was hired on as the Auxiliary Program Coordinator at the end of his VISTA term in January 2023.

Bill currently lives in Andersonville with his partner. He enjoys his free time playing video games, biking, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and exploring Chicago’s vast landscape of restaurants. He has a passion for workers’ rights and LGBTQIA+ liberation, and hopes to pursue future opportunities related to queer advocacy and labor equity.

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Brian Nunez

Driver

Brian graduated from Dominican University in May 2023 with a B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics. Brian is currently pursuing my M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics with combined internships. Ultimately, Brian wants to become a Registered Dietician and a community nutrition educator. Brian’s hometown is Chicago and he loves how expansive it is. Driving for SOS allows him to explore new parts of the city and suburbs.

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Yaya Nelson

Program Coordinator

Yaya is an experienced multimedia professional who is passionate about civic collaboration and immersive media. In 2023, she launched Chicago Moon, a platform created to moonlight the live sets of artist DJs performing throughout the city in various locations. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film Production from California State University, Sacramento.

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Jonathan Jackson

Development Associate

Jonathan is passionate about developing a circular economy across Chicago. He has supported grant/application writing, compliance reporting, and policy and procedure development for social service organizations and non-profit development funds in Chicago and beyond. He has a BA in Psychology and an MA in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

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Sydney Lenzini

Community Engagement Coordinator

Sydney graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2024 with a BA in Anthropology and Sociology. Born and raised in Chicago, she is most passionate about working to build a brighter future for the city and is excited to start her career in the field of nonprofits/social services! Sydney has experience in educational support and ESL instruction and is motivated in all her endeavors to uplift youth and families!

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