Volunteer

As a donations-based organization, volunteer activities involve sorting, quality checking, and bundling brand-new and gently-used children’s essentials. This can look like sorting and wrapping loose diapers, making clothing kits for parents and babies to serve 1 individual for a week, packing diaper orders, organizing our bookshelf, nursing supplies, or whatever the need may be that day.

Volunteer Opportunities

Open Volunteer Sessions

During open volunteer Sessions, we invite individuals, families, and groups less then 10 to join us. Volunteers are encouraged to bring new or like-new items to donate. Register to join us during one of our Open Volunteer Sessions below.

Share Our Spare volunteers
Share Our Spare volunteers
Share Our Spare volunteers

Private Group Sessions

We invite groups of 10 or more for 1.5-2-hour volunteer sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 10am-12pm, 12pm-2pm, 2pm-4pm, 5pm-6:30pm, and 6pm-7:30pm, Fridays from 10am-11:30am or 12pm-1:30pm, and Saturdays from 10am-12pm or 12pm-2pm.

Share Our Spare volunteers
Share Our Spare volunteers
  • School or Community Based Groups
    • A minimum of 10 volunteers to participate, a maximum of 50. If you have less than 10 people, please register to join us during one of our Open Volunteer Session.
    • Volunteers must be 6 years of age or older.
    • For youth groups ages 6-13, we ask for a ratio of 2:1 kids to adults to ensure everyone’s safety. For youth groups ages 14-17, we ask that there be at least 1-3 chaperones present. .
    • We ask all volunteers to consider bringing a gently used donation of children’s clothing, books, or small gear items (bassinets, strollers, pack n plays) or a brand new donation of bottles, diapers, wipes, or baby hygiene items (diaper rash creams, soaps, and lotions).
  • Corporate Groups
    • A minimum of 10 volunteers to participate, a maximum of 50. If you have less than 10 people, please register to join us during one of our Open Volunteer Session.
    • Private corporate groups are strongly encouraged to consider donating as part of your volunteer experience. This not only helps us provide families with the essentials they need to thrive but also allows us to host volunteer programming for youth ages 6-24. With the rising cost of essentials, corporate support is more important than ever. We hope you will consider the following donation options:
      –  For a group of 5-20 volunteers, we suggest a donation of $500 – $1,500.
      –  For a group of 20+ volunteers, we suggest a donation of $2,000 – $5,000
    • Donations can be made via ACH, check or with a credit card through our website.

Ready to bring a group to volunteer? Complete the form below to get your session booked!

Volunteer FAQ

  • Where does volunteering take place?

    At the Sharehouse located at 3800 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago’s Old Irving Park neighborhood. The parking lot and entrance is on Milwaukee Ave. The door is located at the far end of the parking lot past the playground. When you enter the building, you will walk down to the end of the first hallway and make a left. Then, you will enter our space from the second door on the right. You will see our Share Our Spare decals on our door.

  • Is there parking available?

    Yes, there is a 30-spot parking lot that we share with the other businesses in the building. You will see a daycare playground at the front of the parking lot. If the front lot is full, please park along Milwaukee or Kilbourn Ave. To avoid being towed, please do not park in the taxicab parking lot on Kilbourn Ave.

  • Do I have to register via a link?

    Everyone MUST register as an individual on Golden using a link to one of the Open Sessions above or a link for their private group session. This allows our staff to prepare for the group size. Parents must register any volunteer under 18.

  • Why do I need to register?

    Registering for volunteer shifts allows our staff to prepare for the group. Additionally, it ensures staff has your contact and emergency contact information on file in case of emergencies and volunteer opportunity cancellations.

  • Is volunteering family-friendly?

    This is a GREAT opportunity for families. We invite volunteers as young as 6 years, as long as they are accompanied by a caregiver. Volunteers must be 16 years of age or older to volunteer without a caregiver. Youth groups (ages 6-17) must have chaperones.

  • How many people do I need to make a group?

    Groups are 10 or more volunteers. We are limiting all groups to 50 volunteers. See the Groups tab for more information.

  • What if I need to cancel?

    We understand life happens, but PLEASE cancel your Golden registration if you’re unable to volunteer. There is a waitlist of participants eagerly waiting to volunteer.

  • What should I wear?

    We recommend wearing closed-toed shoes and dressing comfortably in layers as the temperature of our warehouse can fluctuate.

  • What if there is bad weather?

    Check your email prior to your volunteer shift. Our volunteer leads are amazing and try their best to make every shift, but emergencies do happen!

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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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