Since May of 2015, the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic has served hundreds of members of the community, primarily in the areas of housing, immigration, and domestic violence. The Clinic provides pro bono legal services to all qualifying individuals who live in Highland Park and Highwood. Highland Park Community Foundation’s funding is used to support services the Clinic provides for Highland Park and Highwood residents in all three of the Clinic’s three practice areas.

Northern Illinois Food Bank’s mission (NIFB) is to provide nutritious food and resources for those in need, with dignity, equity, and convenience, through partnerships and innovation, and with a vision of everyone in Northern Illinois having the food they need to thrive. With the help of the Highland Park Community Foundation’s funding, NIFB operates a Mobile Market distribution in Highwood. The Mobile Market supplements food resources for residents to access food beyond what the local food pantries provide. They offer a welcoming environment for our neighbors and help to remove the barriers that may prevent them from accessing traditional food assistance, by providing more convenient hours, taking limited personal information, and being held at accessible and local community locations. Each Mobile Pantry provides up to 250 families with groceries, including a variety of meat, fresh produce, dairy products and non-perishable items like pasta, cereal, or canned goods.

OMNI is a comprehensive behavioral health organization dedicated to providing accessible mental health services and counseling support to individuals, youth, and families. HPCF funding supports Omni’s partnership with Highwood Library & Community Center, through which OMNI leads a Teen Peer Support Group to support teen mental health.

Through partnerships with individuals, community organizations, and corporations across North America, Operation Warm provides new winter coats and shoes for children in need. With these gifts, they are also providing physical and emotional warmth, confidence to socialize and succeed, and hope of a brighter future. With a matching grant Operation Warm will receive from the Winnetka-Northfield Rotary Club, HPCF’s grant will enable Operation Warm to provide 240 high-quality brand-new winter coats to low-income children attending North Shore School District 112 schools.

The Parks Foundation of Highland Park raises funds for three programs, including the Foundation Youth Initiative (“FYI”), to enable children from Highwood to participate in the Park District’s programs. Highwood does not have its own Park District, and therefore relies largely on the Park District of Highland Park (PDHP) for recreational and enrichment programming. Highwood is home to many families who would benefit from participation in PDHP activities but cannot afford the program fees. Yet, as a taxing body, PDHP is legally precluded from supporting scholarships for Highwood residents. HPCF’s funding is thus used to fund scholarships for Highwood youth whose families qualify for an established state or federal assistance program so they can participate in the FYI Swim-to-Learn program and summer camp.

The mission of Roberti Community House (RCH) is to nourish, educate, and empower community members so that they can acknowledge, appreciate, and actualize their individual strengths and talents. As part of this, RCH rescues food, produce, and supplies from farmers, food distributors, stores, and community partners to provide food for people who are food-insecure, including Highland Park and Highwood residents.

SaLT – Service and Learning Together (SaLT) provides opportunities that impact youth by engaging them to become global citizens and future leaders through community service. These include “Project Shop N’ Drop” through which students collect and deliver groceries and personal items to families who are food insecure. Through their interactions, students develop ongoing relationships with the supported families to best understand their present and future needs; provide messages of hope and encouragement through weekly themes; and engage community volunteers in the support of local families. HPCF’s funding also supports SaLT’s “Love to Learn” program that offers personal tutoring by high school students to K-6 students.

The mission of Willow House is to provide grief support and education for youth, families, schools, and other communities grieving the death of a parent, sibling, or child. Their services are free and include support groups, school programs, and consultation in a variety of community settings.

HPCF funding supports United Way of Lake County 211, a free, confidential, 24-hour information and referral helpline. 211 connects individuals and families in need with access to a vast number of available health and human services. Residents can connect to a wide range of services by phone or text, and an expert navigator will guide them to the help they need, regardless of the time of day, the language they speak, or where they live.

Youth Services offers programs focused on early intervention, intervention, and crisis response. Specific programs include individual and group therapy, boys and girls clubs, academic support, crisis intervention services, and SHARE (Sexual Health and Relationship Education). Agency clients struggle with depression, anxiety, bullying and cyberbullying, issues related to gender and or sexual identity, familial stressors, academic pressure, and suicidal ideation. The majority of youth are referred by local schools, and no one is turned away if they cannot afford to pay.