Around the House Missions

Twist Ties & Bread Bag Tabs

St. Anastasia Food Pantry in Waukegan gets donations of bread from Panera Bread, but they must be bagged before being given out. They always need bread tabs and twist ties to keep the bags closed and the bread fresh.

Glasses, Hearing Aids & Christmas Lights

In 1925, Helen Keller challenged the Lions Club to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” They accepted.

Today, sight programs remain one of their defining causes. Donate used prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, cases, frames hearing aids and Christmas lights.

Pop Top Tabs

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. Donate pop top tabs to help raise funds for this mission.

Labels for Education

By collecting UPCs and beverage/sauce caps from over 2,500 participating products, local schools earn points that can be redeemed for arts, athletic and academic merchandise.

Box Tops for Education

Find Box Tops on hundreds of products. Clip Box Tops from each package.   Box Tops are each worth 10¢ for a local school.

Printer Cartridges

Bring in your used ink jet or laser jet cartridges and when we recycle them, UPC earns money towards Operation Christmas Child expenses.

Plastic Caps and Lids

Some schools are trying to recycle plastic lids and caps to save money while purchasing benches and tables. Please help them out. Acceptable caps include caps from medicine bottles, drink bottles, milk jugs, flip-top caps (ketch and mustard styles), detergent caps, spout caps (mustard style), hair spray and spray paint caps, toothpaste caps, ointment caps and deodorant caps. Basically any caps with recycle numbers of 2, 4, or 5. Acceptable lids include lids from the following containers: cottage cheese, cool whip, mayonnaise jars, coffee cans, yogurt, cream cheese spread, peanut butter jars, and ice cream buckets under 8 inches.  All caps and lids must be clean (devoid of food remnants) and dry.

Personal Care and Beauty Brigade® – any brands

1.    Hair care packaging such as shampoo bottles and caps, conditioner bottles and caps, hair gel tubes and caps, hair spray bottles and triggers, and hair paste plastic jars and caps.
2.    Skin care packaging such as lip balm tubes, face soap dispensers and tubes, face lotion bottles, tubes and plastic jars, body wash containers, soap tubes and dispensers, body lotion dispensers and bottles, shaving foam tubes (no cans), and hand lotion bottles and tubes.
3.    Cosmetics packaging such as lipstick cases, lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, eye shadow cases, bronzer cases, foundation packaging and bottles, powder cases, eyeliner cases, eyeliner pencils, eye shadow tubes, concealer tubes, concealer sticks, and lip liner pencils.

Tom’s of Maine Natural Care Brigade® – any brands

1.    Mouthwash bottles and caps
2.    Deodorant containers and caps
3.    Toothpaste tubes and caps
4.    Soap packaging
5.    Floss containers
6.    Toothbrushes

Drink Pouch Brigade® – any brands

1.    Aluminum and plastic drink pouches (no need to remove the straws)

2.    Drink pouches with spouts

Energy Bar Wrapper Brigade® – any brands

1.  Foil-lined energy bar wrappers
2. Foil-lined granola bar wrappers
3. Foil-lined meal replacement bar wrappers
4. Foil-lined protein bar wrappers
5. Foil-lined diet bar wrappers
6. Clif Bar & Co. wrappers from Clif Bars, Luna Bars, MOJO, Builders, Crunch, Clif Kid Z-Bar