Nearly 950 pounds of donated hygiene products, cleaning supplies and household goods collected across DuPage County in July served as stand-in medical supplies on Tuesday, Aug. 4, when the DuPage County Health Department used them in a state-mandated emergency preparedness drill at the DuPage County Fairgrounds.

The exercise came just eight days after deadly storms battered Downers Grove and surrounding communities on July 27.

The drill simulated how the county would unload and distribute medical countermeasures during a public health emergency. Volunteers from the DuPage County Medical Reserve Corps and Health Department staff moved the donated supplies through the distribution process, practicing the logistics that would activate during a real crisis.

First-ever Operation Dropbox in DuPage

The donations came from Operation Dropbox, a program the Health Department hosted for the first time this year. The drive ran July 1 through July 30 at 22 sites across the county, including the DCHD Southeast Public Health Center at 422 N. Cass Ave. in Westmont.

The program originated in McHenry County in 2018. Lake County joined in 2025, making DuPage the third Illinois county to participate.

"Your generosity made our first Operation Dropbox a true community effort, and your support will positively impact our DuPage veterans and their families," DCHD Executive Director Adam Forker said in the department's Aug. 5 announcement.

All collected items will go to the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans and its Captain Kevin C. Landeck Freedom Commissary in Wheaton, which provides clothing, household goods and other basic needs to 550 veterans and their families at no cost. MaryAnn Ogilvie, a representative of the shelter, said the donations help the commissary continue its work serving local veterans.

Context: July 27 storms

The drill's timing underscored the county's preparedness needs. On July 27, straight-line winds exceeding 70 mph struck Downers Grove, killing a contractor who was swept into a storm sewer downtown, according to ABC7. The National Weather Service also confirmed an EF-0 tornado in Glen Ellyn and damaging winds in Carol Stream that day, with nearly 320,000 ComEd customers losing power across the region.

As we reported Aug. 4, the downtown storm sewer project where the death occurred has been halted.

Residents interested in joining the DuPage County Medical Reserve Corps, which staffs emergency exercises and real-world responses, can contact Kelly Urban at the Health Department. The department has not announced whether Operation Dropbox will return in 2027.