Chesnie Cares was started in July of 2009 by 10 year old Chesnie Johnston and her mother Teri. It came about after Chesnie had discovered that children that were being removed from their homes by DCFS often had little more than a trash bag to keep their belongings in. Chesnie's response "trash bags are for trash, not a child's things" is the backbone for this ministry.
Chesnie made her first drop off of 70+ bags on September 4th 2009 and quickly got the attention of both regional and national companies/organizations that were willing to help in her efforts. Chesnie joined forces with WIBI radio and Dariy Queen in Nov of 2009 for a weekly duffell bag drive that was a major success.
Chesnie has gone on to help many kids here in Southern Illinois and hopes to continue her efforts for a long time. We thank you for your interest in Chesnie Cares and would love to partner with you or your organization. Please contact us for details on how we can continue to help the children of Southern Illinois, as well as the rest of the United States in the near future!