Fun Facts and Stories About 2026 Candy Days 
by Barb Quaintance
We all know the basics of Candy Days: volunteers in the community raising awareness and funds for Misericordia, Giving Pages, candy packets, etc., etc. But here are some additional fun facts and stories from 2026 Candy Days that might be new to you!
- There were 230 Candy Days collection locations and there was real growth in the number of schools and churches who participated.
- While it’s hard to get a specific count, there were approximately 2000 Candy Days volunteers in Chicago and throughout the suburbs.
- Roughly 200 of our Misericordia residents collected at sites throughout Chicagoland.
- In addition to cash, Zelle and Venmo were accepted. Venmo donations nearly doubled from last year.
- Instead of jelly beans, this year packets of Haribo Gummies were handed out - over 100,000 of them!
- 454 Candy Days Giving Pages were created, taking in nearly 10,000 individual donations. The average page raised about $4000.
Several high schools got involved in interesting ways. New Trier and Loyola Academy raised over $20,000 online and in person at their lacrosse games. Deerfield High School used the school’s app to collect donations. And many other schools and churches conducted fundraising onsite.
New partnerships with local businesses were successful and hold great promise! At Superdawgs, for example, customers who brought in a coupon had 20% of their tab donated to Misericordia. At Michael’s Pizza in Wrigleyville, 100% of pizza sales on Candy Days Friday was donated!
I hope you found these facts and fundraising ideas interesting! If you have ideas on business partnerships or new locations for onsite collection, Paul Schwartz would welcome your contact at
And a big thanks and congratulations to everyone who made Misericordia Candy Days 2026 a great success! (And believe it or not, work on 2027 Candy Days has already begun!!)
Send yours to