Area health departments share results of donation drive

WAUKEGAN – The McHenry County Department of Health, in partnership with the Lake County Health Department, shared the results of the sixth annual Operation Dropbox donation drive.

This year marked the program’s expansion into Lake County, bringing a new level of regional collaboration and community involvement to support local veterans and their families.

In McHenry County, 92 organizations participated as drop site locations, surpassing last year’s record of 87, and collected 6,920 pounds of donations to benefit Veterans Path to Hope, a nonprofit based in Crystal Lake that provides housing assistance, employment support, peer groups, transitional living, caregiver training and counseling for veterans.

In Lake County, 40 organizations participated as drop site locations and collected 4,507 pounds of donations. Lake County donations were directed to the Lake County Veterans and Family Services, the county’s satellite site for Veterans Path to Hope. Staffed by veterans, the center serves as a drop-in center and offers the same core services to veterans and their families throughout Lake County.

Together, McHenry and Lake counties set records for the Operation Dropbox program with a combined total of 132 organizations and 11,427 pounds of donations – the highest in the program’s history.

On June 10, MCDH conducted its annual state-mandated emergency preparedness exercise at the McHenry County Division of Transportation. Volunteers from the McHenry County Medical Reserve Corps, MCDH staff and Veterans Path to Hope used the collected donations to simulate the unloading and distribution of medical countermeasures during a public health emergency.

LCHD and the Lake County Medical Reserve Corps held a parallel exercise one week later, reinforcing emergency response capabilities and leveraging the donation drive as a hands-on training opportunity.

“This past year has seen an increase in food prices and greater impact on family budgets. Despite this, the Lake and McHenry communities came together to assist those veterans in even greater need of nutritional support,” said Laura Franz, executive director of Veterans Path to Hope. “Veterans Path to Hope, which includes Lake County Veterans and Family Services in Grayslake, greatly appreciates this opportunity to continue to provide food pantry services to veteran households in both communities as well as many additional services. We offer a sincere thank you to all who gave in support of the veteran community.”

Now in its sixth year, Operation Dropbox continues to demonstrate the power of public service and regional collaboration. This year’s expansion and success would not have been possible without the efforts of dedicated volunteers and the support of participating businesses, schools, churches, libraries and local government organizations across both counties.

For more information about Veterans Path to Hope, call 815-321-4673 or visit veteranspathtohope.org. To learn more about Lake County Veterans and Family Services, visit lakevetsfound.org.

If you have questions about Operation Dropbox or are interested in volunteering with the McHenry County Medical Reserve Corps, contact the McHenry County Department of Health at Community-Health@mchenrycountyil.gov or 815-334-4500. For those interested in volunteering with the Lake County Medical Reserve Corps, contact the Lake County Health Department at HLHealthEM@lakecountyil.gov or 847-377-8186.