Aleah Arundale is spending her Tuesday afternoon sorting through bags of donated clothes right in front of her house.
"Your son probably grew out of those pants anyway," she said. "Why not give them to a kid that is really going to use them?"
From clothes to diapers to shoes, the items seen in Arundale's yard were all donated to help migrants and families in need across Chicago.
"A lot of people ask what we need. I think diapers are needed. Diapers are crazy expensive," she said. "Strollers, suitcases, these people are often moving around a lot. They have walked through many countries to be here, so they love suitcases, but really clothes is the No. 1 thing we get."
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Arundale, a mother of two, turned her house near Maffot Street and Campbell Avenue in Logan Square into a donation center three months ago.
"I think if you make things easy for people they will do it," she said.
It's opened 24 hours a day, and she’s willing to take anything and everything.
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“The problem with a lot of donation sites [is] they’re wonderful but a lot of them are overwhelmed and they can only take certain hours," she said.
Arundale wanted to make the process smooth for those looking to donate items any time.
"It doesn’t cost a lot to be welcoming; it doesn’t cost a lot to help people," she said. "Just things you already have, clothes that your kids grew out of it -- just give to people that really could use them."
She's been working with a network of volunteers coordinating pick-ups and deliveries for families in shelters and in housing.
"I feel very blessed to be able to give," she said. "There are a lot of other wonderful volunteers that are working night and day."
Pictures shared with NBC Chicago captured Arundale and volunteers dropping off donated items. Arundale said the families are forever grateful and thankful.
“We rose to the occasion,” she said. “I think so often you hear about the negative things, but you don’t hear about all the good people doing great easy wonderful things, and that’s why I’m proud of Chicago.”
She knows the kind gesture could change someone’s life.
"There’s 12,000 volunteers out there doing wonderful things, and I'd love for you to be 12,001," she said.
