Celebrating National Hugging Day with Ways to Support the Lake County Community and COOL Ministries

Today is National Hugging Day, and with the pandemic in swing, we realize this may not be the easiest holiday to celebrate for everyone, but if you’re able, give your loved ones a hug and let them know you care! (Don’t forget to hug your pets, too!)  And if you can’t see your loved ones for whatever reason, we’re here to share some great ways you can “hug” your community and show them you care!

Today we’re highlighting a wonderful local charity who needs your help providing not just hugs but safety and security to our local community here in Lake County.  Additionally, we’ve got a short list of more ways you can help local organizations and individuals.

We Support COOL Ministries, and so can you:

COOL Ministries is a not for profit charitable organization serving families in Illinois.  Founded by members of six Lutheran Churches, the organization first opened its doors to the community in 1983 with its inaugural COOL Food Pantry project.  They opened an additional location in 2007, COOL Pantry West, in Ingleside by way of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, which remained in operation through 2018. COOL pantry provides local families and veterans with breakfast, lunch, and dinner; they also provide accommodations for cardiac and diabetic diets, as well as options for those with allergies, and a wide array of ethnic food offerings.

Since 2015, COOL Ministries is now a fully recognized social services organization run by the COOL Board of Directors who put their heart and soul into their work.  In 2016, after 30 years of operation out of a storefront in downtown Waukegan, headquarters relocated operations to a beautiful facility downtown at the Glen Flora Building on West Glen Flora Avenue.

The COOL pantries receive an immense amount of community support from everyone here in Lake County; everyone from churches to individuals to the United Way of Lake County, and incredible grant funding and corporate donations.  We are also proud to count ourselves in the midst of those who support the efforts of COOL Ministries as they help local families and veterans find their footing on stable ground!  The support for COOL Ministries and the COOL Pantries is as diverse as the beautiful community we all love, work, and live in.

Please, join us in supporting our community by helping raise funds and collecting donation items for COOL ministries from this list:

Other fantastic ways you can support your community:

• Donate your time and physical presence to helping stock food pantries or serve meals
• Give blood at local blood banks or blood drives
• Ask if your employer will contribute a “gift match” to your personal donation
• When shopping on Amazon, set http://Smile.Amazon.com as your homepage
• Create care packages for the local homeless population and distribute, or bring to warming stations around the city.
• Collect gently used toys, books, and clothing in good condition which has been laundered and folded neatly, and bring them to a local family shelter or to warming stations around town.
• Donate or volunteer at events with other local charities and nonprofits:
  • American Cancer Society in Lincolnshire, IL
  • Barrington Area Community Foundation in Barrington, IL
  • Beyond Sports Foundation in HIghland Park, IL
  • Hands of Hope Foundation in Barrington, IL
  • Jac Education Foundation in Highland Park, IL
  • Jewish Council for Youth Service in Ingleside, IL
  • Lake Forest Open Land Association in Lake Forest, IL
  • Save a Star Drug Awareness Foundation in Highland Park, IL
  • United Service Organizations in Great Lakes, IL

(And many, many more!)

And of course, all of us here at Classic Auto Group send a comforting virtual hug to you all in thanks for your support and dedication to building a better community!

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