5 Great Non-profits Making a Difference: Patch Picks

It takes a special kind of organization to give of itself with no motive of monetary gain. Members and volunteers donate time and sometimes money for strictly humanitarian purposes.

Several organizations in and around Oak Forest dedicate their days to making a difference on the local — and sometimes not-so-local — level. This week, Patch applauds those organizations for their hard work.

This is by no means everyone making a difference. This isn't even meant to highlight the "best" organizations. We just want to point out a few great groups that are doing something positive.

• St. Damian Food Pantry — St. Damian parish houses its own food pantry, filled with donations of non-perishables from residents. Food drives throughout the year help stock the food pantry, and donations are accepted on a rolling basis. Contact the pastoral center for more information. 

• Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation — Your Patch editor had the . Located in Orland Park, the foundation stocks the closets and toy trunks of 39 cancer treatment centers nationwide, putting toys in the hands of about 7,600 children undergoing cancer treatments each month. Monetary and toy donations are accepted throughout the year, with over 80 toy drives in Oak Forest, Orland Park, Frankfort, Tinley Park, Bridgeview, Romeoville, Lombard, Chicago Heights, New Lenox and other suburbs around Christmastime.

• Aunt Martha's Youth Service Center — The Oak Forest location of Aunt Martha's Youth Service Center specializes in providing counseling to children and adolescents, giving them a safe place to talk and hang out. Aunt Martha's also provides a space for homeless youth, community enrichment programs and emergency shelter care.

• — Founded in 1990, Public Action to Deliver Shelter, located in Chicago Heights, is dedicated to providing emergency food and shelter to people who cannot afford housing. It is an interfaith program that is always in need of more volunteers and community leaders willing to donate their time and facilities.

• PAWS Animal Shelter — It might be a bit of a hike over to PAWS in Tinley, but the furry, friendly faces love their volunteers. The staff ensure that the  animals see the good side of humans everyday. PAWS welcomes donations of time and supplies, and information on how to volunteer or donate is available online. It is an entirely volunteer-run animal welfare society that cares for stray and unwanted pets in the hopes of finding new homes for them. PAWS has dogs and cats waiting for forever homes.

Look for Patch Picks every Thursday at 3 p.m. on Oak Forest Patch.