Farewell, Summer Interns!

Yesterday, HSP threw a party to both wish our Operations Assistant, Sheila Noblitt, a Happy Birthday and say farewell to many of our summer interns. In celebrating this special day, our team of interns and staff enjoyed a delicious meal from Jimmy Johns and topped it off with carrot cake and ice cream.

As our summer draws to an end, we bid our interns good-bye.  Alia, Steve, David, and Lizzy will be leaving HSP this week and we wish them the best of luck wherever life leads them next.  

Good luck interns! We thank you for all your hard work and wish you a wonderful journey ahead.

A Moment to Stop and Say Thank You

A giant THANK YOU to all the donations we have recently receivved! A little while ago, the St. Charles Kiwanis generously donated $500 to the Children's Birthday Project. This is great, because the the program is going strong; three boxes were picked up today! We are also just as thankful for our non-monetary donations; today we got a number of bags of school supplies, arts and craft materials, several jars of peanut butter, and even a box full of flip-flops!

In the summer months, donations of both goods and your time are always appreciated! We especially would love new school supplies, and like we posted last Monday, senior care item kits. However, we love all the help we can get! Every little thing makes a difference.

What Friends Are For

Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Knowin' you can always count on me, for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for

Friendship Day may not be the most recognizable day, but the Humanitarian Service Project (HSP) thinks it’s a great idea – one worthy of popularity. In 1935, Congress proclaimed the first Sunday in August as the National Friendship Day. This year, Friendship Day falls on Sunday, August 1.

And HSP has a great way to celebrate friendship. Why not purchase or prepare a meal, grab a bouquet of flowers, and visit one of the seniors in the Senior Citizen Project (SCP)?

We have nearly 120 seniors in SCP and many of them are lonely – friends are few and family often less than attentive. If you have not volunteered with HSP before, please be prepared to furnish the names of two references. Call 630.221.8340 or e-mail to scp@humanitarianservice.org if you’d like more information.

Like the song, Keep smilin’, keep shinin’ with Friendship Day.

Trinity Baptist Group Travels 750 Miles to Help HSP!

Trinity Baptist Church, located in Trinity, North Carolina, as part of their annual mission trip, has chosen HSP as their charity organization to give their services.

Arranged by Student Life, the youth group from Trinity will be helping us for three days.  During their second day today, they have been helping us prepare for our last Feed the Kids event in August by boxing food. 

We want to give our thanks to Trinity Baptist Church and their volunteers, and wish them a safe trip when you head back to North Carolina.

WANTED: SENIOR CARE KIT ITEMS

As the delivery date looms for the 120 low-income seniors dependent on the Senior Citizen Project for the nutritious foods and household and personal supplies which allow them to maintain their health and independence, we find that our warehouse shelves are barely covered by the paper products and personal care items we usually supply.

We are in dire need of: paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissue) and toiletries (shampoo, bar soap, toothpaste, hand and body lotion, and deodorant). Could yo please pick up an extra for us the next time you shop, or go through your bathroom drawers or cabinets for unused gifts/products, and drop them off at our facility? (465 Randy Road, Carol Stream) These little things help the seniors keep their hygiene and appearance, contributing to their self-respect.

Tips and tricks when planning a supply drive

Good Morning Everyone!
As promised we are posting a list of things to think about when hosting a school supply drive at your office, church, or school. As the recession lingers, students all over the country will have difficulties getting ready for school. Even a small donation is a great donation!

Tips and tricks when planning a school supply drive
Adapted from: http://www.operationkidequip.org/

Getting started:
What type of drive would you like to host?
1. A full school supply drive list – with any item on HSP’s wish list
2. A specialized drive – collecting only one item on the list
3. Collecting backpacks filled with supply items
How long do you want the drive to last?
Back to school sales will be start before you know it! Select the dates you want the drive to begin and end. Plan at least two weeks worth of collection.
What will you collect in?
Find appropriate bins or boxes and a location for your collection sites.

Before the drive:
Look for coupons and sales to donate as much as you can for as little as possible
Send out an email or memo through the office with the kick-off date
Make fliers and posters. Post in high-traffic areas
Set up bins in high-traffic areas like the elevator, lobby, cafeteria and meeting rooms
Tell your family, friends and church members and other connections about the work you are supporting. The more people know, the more school supplies you’ll get.

During the drive:
Engage in healthy, philanthropic competition to see which department can bring in the most items. Award prizes, if possible, to winning “teams”
Create themes to help staff members remember what to bring. Previous groups have done “Marker Mondays” and “Casual Crayon Fridays”
Announce when the drive is coming to an end (about one week prior)

Donations may be dropped off at HSP’s center in Carol Stream Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Have you hosted a supply drive in the past? How did your company manage? How much were you able to collect? Share your original stories and creative advice with HSP!

Gearing up for D-Day 7/17/10!

We're getting ready for our Senior Grocery delivery day this Saturday! It's gonna be a busy day, and we're almost ready! We've got our produce and produce sorters coming tomorrow afternoon and all of our deliverers coming Saturday morning! We could not do ANY of the things we do with out the unwavering support of our donors and volunteers. We appreciate each and every one of you! Let's make this D-Day GREAT!

Good-bye Julie!

Today we say good-bye to one of our summer interns, Julie Fese. After many hard-working weeks here at HSP, Julie bids her farewell.

Julie has made numerous contributions to our organization and we thank her for her time and effort. She was a great addition to our happy team of workers. We are sad to see her leave, yet we wish her only the best, as she moves on to continue her education at Southern Illinois University.

Good luck Julie! We wish you well, and hope your are met with much success in your future endeavors.

School Suppy Drive is Back!!

Supporters and Friends,

HSP is pleased to announce the start of our school supply drive for needy children in DuPage and Kane Counties!

This is our 8th year partnering with the DuPage Regional Office of Education, Catholic Charities and other social services agencies to fill backpacks of impoverished children.

Our WISHLIST this year includes: loose-leaf paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, crayons, folders, markers, colored pencils, highlighters, rulers, safety scissors, erasers, glue sticks, and backpacks.

Every child deserves the right to a complete education. If children are not equipped with the necessary materials to support their education, their potential to succeed will be limited. Help HSP collect supplies to enrich the lives and education of these children!

Check back with us on Friday for tips on how to run a supply drive at your office!

Interns hard at work!

It's the summer of MANUALS! All of the interns are working on updating our manuals! Here is a pictures of HSP's founder Karole, and interns (from right) Alia, Bethani, Chris, Christy, and Dave all hard at work to make the manuals easy to understand for future staff and interns! Keep up the good work guys!

Feed The Kids 7/7/10!

Feed The Kids July 2010 was a success! HSP gave fresh fruits and vegetables, a selection of frozen meat, fresh bread, and 100 lbs of nonperishable foods to nearly 100 familes! FTK would not have been as successful as it was without our volunteers. Thanks to all who gave their time to help families in need! You've truly made a difference. A special THANK YOU to all who donated food or organized a food drive! We couldn't have done this without you!

July 4th Festivities!

HSP celebrated the Fourth of July weekend with service and the sun! We had 6 phenomenal volunteers including executive founders Floyd and Karole Kettering help at The Naperville Exchange Club’s Ribfest on Saturday July 3rd. Thank you Krista Ravenscraft, Julie Michael, Sherri Lloyd, and Eric for your assistance during Ribfest!

HSP continued an amazing holiday weekend by walking in the Wheaton Fourth of July Parade on Sunday July 4th. It was a beautiful Sunday to see the community!

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!

HSP receives DuPage Community Foundation Grant!

Karole Kettering with David M. McGowan (President) and Barb Szczepaniak (Director of Grants) at The DuPage Community Foundation.

The DuPage Community Foundation’s vision is to raise the quality of life throughout DuPage County. As a grant recipient the Humanitarian Service Project will continue to alleviate the pain and suffering that poverty brings to needy seniors and children living in DuPage and Kane Counties.

Thank You for your support!

Welcome HSP’s newest intern!

Hannah Loftus is a rising sophomore at the University of Chicago where she is pursuing a degree in Anthropology. She has previously been of service to the Village of Glen Ellyn and tutored students in high school. She was looking to help the community over the summer and was drawn to HSP because the organization services community members of all ages. We are happy to have to you Hannah!

Carol Stream Residents Come Through

Megan Arista of Carol Stream didn't really know what to expect when she launched a neighborhood food drive for our Feed the Kids program. She only knew she wanted to help. After a few phone calls and e-mails to folks she knew from the Carol Stream Woman's Club (she's a co-president) and from Western Trails School, she wondered if people would respond. But respond they did and in fine fashion as Megan and her friend Tammi Gonzalez dropped off a car full of food today.

Megan said she simply set out a plastic bin near her front door and each morning checked to see what was there, bringing in the bags of donations each day. Megan had a little help when the Carol Stream Press took notice and did a piece on her efforts. But she credits the people of Carol Stream for the good work.

As donations of non-perishable food have dwindled recently, Megan's efforts and those of others are what's keeping us going as we prepare to box for August's Feed the Kids. One hundred families will each receive four 25-lb. boxes full of non-perishable groceries, wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables purchased from Caputo's, frozen meat, fresh bread, and healthy snacks.