Paying It Forward

Bringing the Light to Northwest Indiana and Illinois

You can be the light in someone's world by helping too. Even if you don't have funds to donate, your time is valuable! Paying It Forward relies on fellow community members to volunteer to help push our mission forward.

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Paying It Forward NWI’s Mission

This is the foundation of everything we do at Paying It Forward. We want to help be the light on what may be a cloudy day. It inspires us day in and day out to give back to our community members in need. Children, low-income families, and victims of domestic violence know they have someone in their corner. Knowing this helps drive us to secure as many donations and resources as possible so we can help those who are struggling. Even one small act of kindness can have a positive long-term impact on someone. It can help give them the courage to keep going.

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Our charity’s impact in the Chicagoland area

We are small, but we are mighty!

Last year we helped:

3,000+ people in the community with basic necessities

800+ children received Christmas gifts

150+ people with coats and blankets

250+ houseless individuals with backpacks full of essentials

120+ children received birthday boxes

120+ teens got the prom of their dreams

Our History

Thousands of volunteers, donors, and community members have helped Paying It Forward thrive over the years. We established in July 2013 as a small, social media-based community help group. Over the years, we banded together as neighbors and have been able to help tens of thousands of people through our local outreach programs. Seeing a need for energetic, nonprofit work in the IL and NWI area, we formed our organization to provide solutions that give back to locals.

Paying It Forward opened a nonprofit office in June of 2021, followed by our community resource center in October of 2023. New parents in need of things like diapers and other baby items, as well as folks needing basic necessities like toiletries, are able to stop in for assistance. Our resource center allows people to build resumes and apply for jobs, apply to financial assistance programs, and receive guidance on other things for which they may be eligible. Donations are accepted to help fund our many programs, with 100% of the proceeds going right back to the people.

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How to Help

Paying It Forward runs on human kindness. What we lack in money we make up for with heart. Kindness does not have to cost a single cent. While donations are appreciated and vital to us being able to offer our programs to those who are in need, your time is also valuable. Please consider donating or volunteering to help us help others and be a part of making a difference in our local community. Together we can.

Make a donation of new diapers, toiletries, and baby items, and consider purchasing directly from our Amazon Wishlist. We would also love if you could volunteer your time to help in our store. Our store is strictly run by volunteers and we always need help!

Paying It Forward is a 501c3 non-profit organization. To help with the services we provide, click here to donate to the program and service you would like. 100% of profits from sales go toward Paying It Forward's programs for families in need.
Want to help out, but don’t have a lot of extra money? We can ALWAYS use your time! Help out in our physical store location, host a toy drive in your community, or help out with one of our upcoming events. Click here to volunteer.
Want your logo on our site? We are always looking for sponsorships from companies big and small! You can sponsor a specific event, drive, or just help out in general. We can always find a way to get you involved! Click here to learn more.