Eight years ago, Jennifer Molski was living in a tiny Gold Coast apartment that was filled with holiday presents she had no use for.

“They were gifts I’d received that were stored away in the pantry or in my closet,” said Molski. “I felt guilty for not using them and knew there had to be a better way.”

So Molski came up with an idea that keeps the generosity of the holiday spirit flowing all year long. She created Leave it for Love, an innovative gift recycling program. Anyone who has one too many soap-on-a-ropes from Grandma Betty or unwanted gifts they’ll never use should drop them off at Ritchie Court Cleaners, 1313 N. Ritchie Court.

“I learned at a young age that we were given two hands, one to help ourselves and the second to help others,” said Molski, a former community social worker. “Giving back and investing in my community has always been important to me.”

Misfit gifts are picked up regularly for Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, 355 N. Ashland Ave., which provides companionship and social interaction to older adults who are often isolated and low income, living in CHA or HUD housing, and have no family. The stuff is distributed throughout the year on various occasions or when a volunteer makes a home visit.

“As so many charities are focused on children, I wanted to partner with an organization serving an oftentimes overlooked and neglected segment of our population, older adults,” said Molski, whose family, including her parents, Gold Coasters Roger and Marcia, are also actively involved.

It’s a win-win situation, said Molski. And really, why clutter up the house when you can re-gift for a good cause?

“The program is easy on the pocketbook, good for the environment and great for the human spirit,” Molski said.

Castle scores big … My former Lerner Newspapers co-worker George Castle (a walking encyclopedia on baseball) scored a huge coup landing Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood as a guest on his new “Diamond Gems Online Video Show,” being taped 7 p.m. Jan. 12, at O’Donovan’s, 2100 W. Irving Park Road.

“He’s been one of the most upstanding personalities I’ve encountered in my long baseball journalism career,” said Castle, who has known Wood since he was first drafted by the Cubs in 1995 and has written several chapters on Wood in past books (although he’s not in the latest, “When The Game Changed: An Oral History of Baseball’s True Golden Age 1969-79”).

Castle said Wood, a Lincoln Parker, is probably the most popular Cub of recent seasons and he agreed to do the segments before he re-signed with the team, “so I really appreciate his support.”

Also on hand will be Tim Wilken, the Cubs’ director of scouting.

“He’s one of the best in the biz, and I’ll team him in a segment with Woody to talk about how to properly judge the young, hard-throwing pitchers of the type Woody once was,” said Castle.

After 17 years, Castle is converting his Diamond Gems syndicated radio show to online video on NWI.com. He has already taped segments with Ryan Dempster and Hall of Famer Billy Williams, who’s celebrating his 50th season in the Cubs organization as player, coach and front-office executive/advisor. See you there.

The candidates … Diversey Harbor Lakeview Association executive director Gene Fisher accepted an invitation from the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce to partner in the upcoming 43rd Ward aldermanic candidate debate, 6:30 p.m., Jan. 13 at the DePaul Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave. Sponsoring aldermanic candidate debates is consistent with DHLA’s community mission and rapidly becoming a tradition, said Fisher.