Prom Dress Giveaway Supporting Local Students Planned For 12th Year

BATAVIA, IL — Chip In Batavia is back with the 12th iteration of its prom dress giveaway, helping students with everything from dresses and shoes to makeup and accessories.

The drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 14 and again from 12:30-3 p.m. March 15 at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. Donations of clean dresses, shoes, purses and accessories — as well as hair items and new makeup — will be accepted at the library beginning Feb. 1 until March 13.

Chip In Batavia — an acronym for Community Helpers Impacting People in Need — is a restricted fund within the nonprofit Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence. Its mission is to help low-income and homeless families in Batavia, but any student, regardless of income status, can partake in the prom dress giveaway.

In 2025, Chip In provided about 800 dresses to students in more than 40 schools and seven charities.

In addition to dresses and accessories, monetary donations are also "greatly appreciated," organizers said, as they'll be used to pay for tuxedo rentals and prom tickets for Batavia students. Checks should be made out to the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence, with "Chip In Batavia" written on the memo line.

The Batavia Public Library is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Dress racks for drop-off will be located near the check-out desk, where tax donation letters will be available.