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SKELETON KEY BREWERY
filling homes with hope
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Join us for a year of events, donation drives, and volunteer opportunities in support of Sharing Connections, our 2024 nonprofit partners! Learn more about Sharing Connections here, and check out all of our upcoming events below:
ABOUT OUR 2024 NFP PARTNER
SHARING CONNECTIONS
Sharing Connections brings together community members by enabling families and businesses to share their gently used furniture, household items and clothing with families needing assistance. This is a unique opportunity for the community to directly make an impact by passing on something they no longer need to make a difference in the life of a family.
SC staff works closely with referring partner organizations such as domestic violence shelters, housing organizations, food pantries, schools, veteran, and teen parent organizations that refer clients to SC after they have determined the need for beds, cribs, furniture and other household items. Distribution of cribs and beds for children is a major focus of our programming.
The families served by SC include the previously homeless, unemployed and working poor, veterans, victims of domestic violence, immigrants, individuals with mental or physical disabilities, victims of fire, flood and natural disasters, etc. They have housing, but are faced with the harsh reality that their “home” is empty or severely under-furnished – without cribs and beds for the children, a table, chairs and dishes to share meals, or even a sofa to sit on and relax.
Our clients have an average salary of approximately $12,400 a year for a family of four. After basic expenses such as rent, utilities, food and clothing are paid, there’s little if anything left for the common household furnishings most take for granted. These individuals and families must overcome many obstacles on their way to self-sufficiency.
Since our founding, our services have grown to not only include professional referral services from partner agencies for furniture and clothing - but have expanded with our annual toy program, back to school supply program, and in 2019 launched our very own in-house option to offer direct-to-client services through in-house case management. Together, We Furnish Hope. LEARN MORE >
SKELETON KEY'S APPROACH TO CHARITABLE GIVING
In 2023, we shifted our charitable giving policy to a position of partnership so as to maximize the impact of our resources.
We select 1-2 non-profit organizations to exclusively partner with each year (in addition to our perennial partners, Youth Outlook and the Downers Grove Library Foundation). In our first year of this new programmatic / partnership approach, we raised nearly $8,000 for our 2023 NFP partners -- West Suburban Community Pantry and the GardenWorks Project -- and contributed several thousand dollars more in support via event space rental discounts, donated product, and community engagement efforts.
Our year-long engagements with our partners allow us to deepen our relationship with their causes and share that with our community through volunteer days, donation drives, fundraisers, and educational events. This also allows us to make the most of our limited resources as a small, family-owned business.
We fully vet all candidates via Charity Navigator to ensure their programs are impactful and their annual reports reflect a strong emphasis on fiscal responsibility -- with a majority of funds going directly to programming in our state's local communities. We look for diverse representation on their boards and a track record of success. We give priority to organizations with a distinct focus in one of the areas shown here.
We also prioritize organizations that value service as part of their donors' efforts, as we are looking to connect our patrons with their causes in a way that allows everyone to contribute, regardless of financial ability.
If your organization would like to be considered for partnership in 2025, please fill out the form here with as much detail as possible regarding its alignment with the above listed priorities. If partnership doesn't seem like a good fit, we may be able to donate a gift card for your organization's fundraiser upon request and receipt of a valid 501c3 letter.