Share Our Spare

Share Our Spare (SOS) believes every child deserves a strong start and every parent the opportunity to provide one. Each year, we help ensure more than 18,000 Chicagoland children – from birth to age 5 – receive the essentials they need for healthy development, by partnering with over 150 social service agencies across the area. Through these partnerships, SOS provides diapers, baby care items, clothing, books and other resources families in financial crisis often struggle to afford and social service agencies often struggle to find. While filling these critical gaps, we also are focused on educating, advocating and seeking solutions for improving the lives of children and families facing poverty in our region.

Here is why this matters: We know that 1 in 2 children in our city have an unmet diaper need, which impacts parents’ ability to go to school or work. We also know that the cost of diapers has increased 22% compared to the current 6% national inflation rate, resulting in even more financial hardship for our families. We also know that before factors of inflation that diapers cost 14% of our families’ income, which inhibits their ability to maintain financial stability, impacting health, housing and child well-being.

Volunteers help quality check, sort, and bundle donations of brand new and gently used children's essentials for children ages newborn through 5 years. This looks like quality checking and sorting children's clothing, books, toys, and small gear items (Bassinets, pack n plays, strollers, bouncers, swings, and exersaucers). It can also look like helping us pack diaper orders for diaper pick up days. Volunteer assignments are determined the week of and are based on available donations for the week.