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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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

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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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 Manager

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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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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Sade Chapman

Operations Manager

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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Sade Chapman

Operations Manager

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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Jonathan Jackson

Development Manager

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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Sade Chapman

Operations Manager

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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Ella Gilles

Program Coordinator

Ella began her nonprofit career in Oakland, California where she served as a Jesuit Volunteer at Civicorps. After supervising conservation crews for an additional year, she transitioned to family-based service in the Chicago area. She is passionate about developing healthy individuals to promote empowered communities. Ella holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with a focus in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame.

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Gina Jagminis

Development Associate

Born and raised on Chicago’s south side, Gina is passionate about community-based work in her hometown. She has previously worked directly with middle school youth, and she feels grateful for the opportunity to work towards a more equitable future alongside like-minded people. Gina holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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Zach Ellenberger

Warehouse Coordinator

Zach Ellenberger is a logistics and operations professional. His first experience with nonprofit organizations was in high school volunteering with Make-A-Wish Foundation in the Pittsburgh area. Zach holds a bachelor’s in Communications with a minor in Multimedia.

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S. Mayumi “Umi” Grigsby (she/her) Executive Director

S. Mayumi “Umi” Grigsby

Executive Director

Umi Grigsby is a Chicago-based attorney, policy leader, and equity advocate whose career spans government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Policy and Director of Legislative Affairs at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Chief of Policy for the City of Chicago, leading major initiatives advancing equity, health, and opportunity for families and children.

Through her firm, Grigsby Strategic Solutions, Umi has advised organizations on policy strategy, coalition building, and equitable journalism practices, and she has held leadership roles with the Chicago Foundation for Women and the Cook County Human Rights Commission.

Umi joins Share Our Spare at a pivotal moment as the organization celebrates 15 years of impact. She is deeply committed to ensuring every Chicago-area child has the essentials they need for a strong start in life.

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Ayesha Jaco is a lifelong resident of Chicago’s West Side dedicated to improving community health and economic vitality in the community she grew up in. As Executive Director of West Side United (WSU), founded by 6 major health systems, she leads cross-sector partnerships to eliminate the 18-year life expectancy gap between West Side residents and the Loop. Under her leadership, WSU has awarded $2.5 million to over 175 small businesses and coordinated $10 million in social impact investments supporting housing and economic development. She helped secure the $10 million Chicago Prize for Sankofa Wellness Village and serves as board chair of the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative. She also sits on the boards of Choose Chicago and the Institute for Translational Medicine.

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Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler is a nationally recognized expert in mental health in Black communities. She has two decades of clinical experience providing psychological interventions to help people with stress management, trauma symptoms, mood and anxiety conditions, and difficulty in interpersonal relationships. Her scholarly work has focused on the role that structural and social determinants of health play in disparities in mental illness and treatment. She has led research to develop culturally tailored mental health interventions that meet the needs of the most under-resourced, marginalized populations. She actively partners with community based organizations to increase access and engagement with evidence based interventions in service of mental health equity. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), The Greer Family Foundation, and The Davee Foundation. Inger is actively engaged in the community and has served on several non-profit boards including Thresholds, Cook County Health and The African American Legacy of the Chicago Community Trust. Her past board service includes Heartland Alliance Health, Chicago High School for the Arts, and the Women’s Board of the Joffrey Ballet. Inger has written dozens of articles and lectures widely on mental health and trauma in the Black community. She is an active contributor to the public discourse on mental health and has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Good Morning America and CNN. She is the author of the favorably reviewed book Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women (Amistad, 2021). She is currently working on her forthcoming book, The Black Pregnancy (Amistad, expected 2027). Inger has been recognized for her commitment to public service and health equity; she received the impact award from the Chicago Foundation for Women (2022), wellness woman of the year from Sista Aafa (2023), and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from DePaul University (2024). She currently holds positions as Chief Behavioral Health Officer at the State of Illinois and adjunct faculty at Northwestern University.

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Salimah N. Turner—Mommy extraordinaire, Black therapist, owner of S.N. Turner and Associates, and Certified Lactation Counselor—is passionate about supporting individuals and families throughout the perinatal journey. She specializes in maternal mental health, postpartum wellness, breast/chestfeeding education, and lactation support, helping parents navigate the emotional and physical transitions that accompany pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Through compassionate, culturally responsive care, Salimah empowers her clients to build resilience while creating meaningful and lasting change. She strives to ensure every client feels seen, heard, and supported. Her mission is to erase the negative stigma associated with therapy, one person at a time.

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Michelle Alero Adeniyi is a maternal and child health leader, licensed practical nurse, full-spectrum doula, speaker, and consultant committed to closing care gaps for women and families. She serves as Director of Maternal & Child Health, Collective Impact at March of Dimes, where she leads cross-sector initiatives advancing health equity, workforce development, and community innovation. Her work has shaped the Doula-Hospital Integration Project and Healthy Pregnancy & Community Wellness Event Series. Michelle has contributed her expertise and lived experience to perinatal mental health initiatives with the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative and March of Dimes. Through UIC’s Maternal Health Digital Storytelling Workshop, part of the Illinois Maternal Health Innovation Program, she created a digital story about her postpartum mental health journey and became a Certified Patient Family Partner with MoMMAs Voices. She is passionate about using lived experience to inform policy, strengthen care systems, and equip families to advocate for change.

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Jess Roe is the founder of Windy City Mama Creative and the creator behind The Windy City Mama, a Chicago-based platform where she shares everyday life, family resources, ways to support the local community, and advocacy around motherhood, inclusion, and public policy. She is a mom of three and runs a coffee shop in Chicago. Through storytelling, Jess strives to connect families with trusted information and resources while creating a safe, welcoming space across her platforms. As a longtime supporter of Share Our Spare, she is honored to serve as the virtual host for this Maternal Mental Health Advocacy Panel.

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Jenny LeFlore is the founder of Mama Fresh Chicago, a trusted community platform dedicated to helping modern moms feel seen, supported, and connected. Through storytelling, community events, and advocacy, she has become a leading voice for Chicago families, creating spaces where parents can access resources, build relationships, and engage in conversations that matter.

As the moderator for today’s discussion, Jenny brings her experience connecting families, nonprofit organizations, and civic leaders to facilitate meaningful conversations that inspire action. Her work has been featured by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Parent, ABC, NBC, WGN, and WBEZ, and she is passionate about ensuring every mother has access to the support she deserves.

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