Help Our Local Businesses
Shop Local for the Holidays
Give Local for #Giving Tuesday
Help our Music Venues
Dear Neighbors:

This is a special edition of our newsletter hoping you will all shop local, eat local, and give local this holiday season. Our wonderful shops, restaurants and charities employ, buy from, and help people from all over the city. So even though today is Cyber Monday, please share your gifts and holiday cheer with our community.

Help for Local Businesses

At last week's City Council meeting, I co-sponsored an ordinance which will provide some relief to our local restaurants. The measure which caps at 15 percent the total fees that third party-delivery companies can charge restaurants for their service. The ordinance went into effect immediately. With so many of our community's restaurants dependent on delivery, this will save customers money and ensure that more money stays in the community.

The ordinance will remain in effect until occupancy rates are raised to 40 percent for restaurants.  Please continue to call restaurants directly for delivery, as this keeps revenue in their pockets. Our list of restaurants below have direct phone numbers.

Additionally, to provide relief for local businesses, I will support Mayor Lightfoot's proposed ordinance to extend the Expanded Outdoor Dining Program. The ordinance also will extend the expiration of every business and public vehicle licenses that would have expired March 15, 2020-June 15, 2021. All will be considered active, and will not need to be renewed until July of 2021.

Read the Block Club Chicago story here.
ZooLights 2020
November 21–January 3
4:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Reservations Required

Zoolights is open and safe! Learn more about this year's ZooLights. So many people have worked hard to ensure that this important neighborhood tradition will continue this year.

Watch this video to learn more about ZooLights2020. Reservations are required and can be made here.
Toy Drives
Joy of Toys
North Dearborn Association
Toy Drop-Off at
Mario's Table
21 W. Goethe
Sunday, December 5
12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Bring joy to children over the holidays by participating in the 2021 Joy of Toys, sponsored by the North Dearborn Association. The celebration, hosted for the 27th year by Mario Stefanini, owner of Mario’s Table, will be a drop-off only.

Please bring wrapped or unwrapped toys for children aged 3-11, of a suggested value of about $20. Here are suggestions:
Gifts Kids Love:
  • Dolls
  • Sports Gear
  • Remote Control Toys (plus batteries)
  • Action Figures
  • Legos and Board Games
Gifts to Avoid:
  • Stuffed Animals
  • Items that require a computer
  • Strictly education items
  • Toy Guns
  • Oversized toys
Toys and donations benefit needy children at the George Manierre School and the Sarah Ferguson Parent Center. You can also donate at www.northdearbornassociation.com.





One Northside and Communities Partnering for Peace (CP4P)
Drop Off Toy Drive
4648 N Racine
Saturday, December 12
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

One Northside and Communities Partnering for Peace are collecting unwrapped gifts for boys and girls ranging from newborn to 16 years old.

Items can be ordered online and shipped directly to arrive before December 15th. Please email Lbdfa@hotmail.com for shipping address.

Gift Ideas:

  • Target Gift Cards
  • Credit Card Gift Cards for Teens (Visa, Mastercard)
  • Basketballs, Footballs, Soccer Balls
  • Art Supplies
  • Books – Culturally diverse representation
  • Dolls – Culturally diverse representation
  • Chicago Sports Related Clothes
  • Games – Candyland, Boggle, Uno, Operation, Chutes & Ladders, Jenga
  • Tabletop Christmas Trees
  • Stuffed Animals
  • Hats, Gloves and Scarves

Gifts will be distributed to families on Chicago’s Northside who can use some extra support this holiday season. For more information call 773-383-7431.   
Marillac St. Vincent
Christmas Store Toy Drive
Drop Off or Send Gifts to:
Foglia Family & Youth Center
Attn: Robert Ellison
2859 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60612

Lincoln Park-based Marillac St. Vincent Family Services is seeking toys for children 0-12 who participate in its social service programs.

Every year, Lincoln Park based, MSV offer parents, grandparents, and child guardians that it serves the chance to sign up for the Christmas Store. In past years, Registered families would get to "shop" for toys, stocking stuffers, books, games, clothes, and stuffed animals for each of their children have their gifts wrapped, and finally, leave with a full bag of food - enough to make a big meal on Christmas day, complete with a turkey! This year, families will receive the same gifts and food, but instead, MSV is offering a contact-free drive-through service.

Items can be ordered online and shipped directly to arrive before December 17th. To learn more, click here.  
Support Local Businesses This Holiday Season
Christmas Shopping Season is Underway
Please Shop Local

With the holiday season upon us, we want to encourage you to buy one of our local businesses. Almost all have their own online presence, so it's just as easy to buy local as national. Please send us an email at yourvoice@ward43.org and let us know you're open for business!
Lincoln Park Holiday Wishlist

The Lincoln Park Holiday Wishlist highlights and celebrates our community’s independent businesses. 

Use this gift guide to find great gifts right here at home.

And shop at all these local stores:
Support Our Local Restaurants
Support our Neighborhood Restaurants
and Charity

Here's a great way to support our local restaurants and help our local charities. The Lincoln Park Community Shelter can no longer have volunteers on site to cook meals. They are in need of food to cover meals for 20 individuals staying at their 600 W. Fullerton shelter and 35 individuals at our 1521 N. Sedgwick shelter. Help by preparing a meal at home and drop it off or order meals from a restaurant for delivery to LPCS! Breakfasts are dropped off by 7:15 a.m. (8:00 a.m. on weekends), lunches are dropped off at 12:00 p.m. and dinners are dropped off at 5:30 p.m. Meals do not need to be individually packaged; disposable serving trays work best! The shelter can warm up food if needed.

If you’d like to donate a meal, please email volunteer@lpcschicago.org to find out open meals and location specifics like Guest count and dietary restrictions.If you cannot provide a meal but would like to make a donation to support a meal or our general operations, you can do so here.

*NOTE: When you prepare food at home, please only make food if you are feeling well. Please be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before you prepare the meal.

You can order great meals for yourself, friends and family, and the needy at:
Support Local Charities on #Giving Tuesday
The 43rd Ward is home to many worthy charities that benefit neighborhood and citywide issues. The Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce has published a list.

Send us local charities you support and we will feature charities in upcoming newsletters and social media. Here are a few examples:
Care For Friends
530 West Fullerton Parkway

Providing meals, medical help for homeless people, including homeless college students. Learn about Care for Friends on Fullerton.

Juvenile Protective Association
1707 N Halsted

Help children with counseling and other support: Learn about the Juvenile Protective Association on Halsted.
Support Our Parks

The Chicago Tribune reported on the recent efforts of The Lincoln Park Conservancy to save our beloved North Pond. Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, donations to the North Pond restoration project will be matched through year’s end by a generous anonymous donor.

This means during their annual appeal you can double your impact to make this important Park project a reality. The Conservancy is more than 60% to their fundraising goal for the North Pond restoration, but still need your help. Donate today. 
Want to support our parks and enjoy a great bottle of wine? The Chicago Parks Foundation, headquartered in Lincoln Park, is hosting a Virtual Wine Tasting on December 16th with two experts: vintner Taylor Boydston, owner and maker of the T. Berkley Wines you'll be enjoying, and our friend James Hill III, CPA by day and awarded wine educator by night! Learn more and register here.
Support Our Music Venues
and Hear Great Virtual Concerts

Lincoln Park has over 35 live performance venues and all are suffering because of the pandemic. CIVL, an organization formed to advocate for Chicago's independent music venues is hosting a virtual concert series celebrating Chicago's independent venues to raise funds for the CIVL SAVE Emergency Relief Fund, powered by the Giving Back Fund, which will help Chicago’s venues, staff and artists survive the live events moratorium. Learn more at CIVLchicago.com. Block Club covered the story.
Holiday Trees for Sale
at Lincoln Common
Friday, Dec. 4th: 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 5th: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Lincoln Common is kicking off the holiday season this weekend! Stop by The Plaza to select your very own holiday tree from Svendsen's Christmas Trees.

Fraser Fir Christmas trees will be available from 4-12ft. Prices vary from $50-250.

Stay safe and shop local,






43rd Ward Virtual Office Hours: M - F 9 AM - 5 PM 
 2523 N Halsted | 773-348-9500 yourvoice@ward43.org www.ward43.org