Operation Drop Box Kicks Off; Goods Collected for Veterans

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — Operation Drop Box, a campaign to gather household goods for veterans, will have drop-off locations set up throughout the county available starting on Sept. 9. The McHenry County Department of Health is joining forces with partners COUNTRY Financial, McHenry County Division of Transportation (McDOT), McHenry County Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC), TLS Veterans, and volunteers from the McHenry County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in asking community members to donate requested items that will help give county veterans a boost, according to a news release.

New and unused items such as non-perishable food and new socks can be dropped at locations throughout the county, including: the McHenry County Administration Building at 667 Ware Road; the McHenry County Treasurer’s Office at 2100 N Seminary Ave.; and COUNTRY Financial at 1400 N Seminary in Woodstock as well as locations in Johnsburg, Harvard, McHenry, Huntley, Richmond, Marengo, Cary and Crystal Lake.

A complete list of requested items, new and unused, and Operation Drop Box locations, visit www.mcdh.info.

This is the second annual Operation Drop Box, which mirrors emergency preparedness exercises conducted by other Northern Illinois health departments. MCDH Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers will assemble requested items into kits, and the McHenry County Division of Transportation will deliver the kits to the TLS Veterans office for allocation to veterans, according to a news release.

“Operation Drop Box is a perfect opportunity to practice elements of exercising our ability to distribute emergency medication while also showing the community’s appreciation for the men and women of the Armed Services," Rachel Mintle, Emergency Response Facilitator for MCDH, said in a news release.

More information on how you can contribute is available by calling the health department at 815-334-4510 or visiting us at www.mcdh.info.