What is the Capital Campaign?

In the Spring of 2013 the  COOL Board of Directors embarked on a Capital Campaign to raise support for essential building repairs to our housing program and new equipment to address our ever expanding food pantry program

Maintenance of Family Housing Units:  COOL  owns two properties consisting of a duplex (built in 1993) and a four-flat (built in 1997.) We had an immediate need to replace the roof on the duplex and the four-flat will need to be done next year. We also know that the time will soon come to replace furnaces in the four-flat. New flooring is also needed in several of the units!

These apartments provide housing for families transitioning from homelessness into stable living situations. They provide a safe environment for families while they learn the skills necessary to live independently upon leaving COOL.

COOL not only Feeds the Hungry but our Family Housing Program also provides housing for homeless families. We are proud of our success in feeding those who would otherwise have gone hungry. But our mission is greater than simply feeding those in need.

We also are called to help families achieve a permanent change in their lives so that they are lifted out of poverty, never to need assistance again. This is why COOL first opened its Family Housing Program in 1988.

Since inception the program has assisted more than 200 families to make a new beginning. This means that more than 600 children no longer had to sleep in a shelter, a car or outside in extreme weather conditions  while their family struggled to make a home.

Purchase of an Additional Truck: COOL uses a truck to pickup and deliver both food and furniture for our two programs.  Since obtaining our first truck in 1997, COOL has nearly quadrupled the number of people served each year at the pantry and added a second food pantry location in Ingleside! We are also picking up “recovery” food several days a week from area grocery stores. This has helped to keep food costs down, but has also added extra trips and many miles to our only truck.  Having the ability to keep one truck in Western Lake County and another in Eastern Lake County will substantially reduce the overall miles our truck must travel each year and provide a backup truck for when we have many things happening at once or when one of the vehicles is being serviced.

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Thank you COOL Friends and Supporters!!!

In late November COOL purchased a gently used 2nd truck which is a blessing in more ways than we can count! We are so proud of our new COOL Truck and thankful to every single donor who gave to this cause! Thanks also to Signs Now in Gurnee for helping with new signs on the truck! They are just beautiful!!!!

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Update:  On December 6th a new roof was installed on our duplex in Zion thanks to our COOL Supporters! The new roof looks beautiful and with a 40 year warranty you can count on your help providing a safe dry home for homeless families for many years to come!

Thank you COOL supporters for your help in making  dreams come true!