So Long Farewell It's Time To Say Goodbye

It is so hard to say goodbye, but alas I must. The time has come for me to write my last puns and pass the Facebook and blog torch on. It has been fun as well as an honor over the last three months to get the opportunity to keep you up to date with all of HSP’s daily activities. Whether it was writing about donations that have come in or our fantastic volunteers, it has been unbelievable to share all the information and be able to see first hand what a huge difference HSP, our volunteers and our donors are making in the lives of needy children and seniors.

A million thank you’s to everyone who reads my blogs and supports HSP!!

Owl be seeing you!!!

HSP's 2011 Important Events

With 2011 right around the corner, it’s time to start planning for the upcoming year. As you bring out the new calendar and begin to pencil in all of the years important events. Here are some of HSP’s important events to mark down.

Year Round Holiday Meals: Donate and deliver a meal to senior’s once a month for a holiday including the St. Patrick’s day, Easter and even the lesser known one’s like friendship day (August) and Grandparents day (September).

The volunteers first chose how many seniors they wished to provide dinner for and then the volunteers decided which holiday meal items to purchase or bake from a list provided by their senior(s). Then the volunteer coordinates a time with the senior(s) to deliver the meal.

Stamp Out Hunger, Saturday May 7th: Help provide food for those who cannot provide it for themselves. Place non-perishable food outside your door and the postal worker will pick it up. In addition to the non-perishable food, volunteers will also be needed to help out at our center.

Feed the Kids: Serving 100 families with 250lbs of food each June, July, & August. We are in need of volunteers to food sort as well as provide assistance on the day the families receive their food.

School Supplies Collection: Children are our future and helping to empower even the youngest minds are important. Give local needy children a chance to thrive in the classroom by providing them the tools they need to succeed.

Christmas Offering: Food drives, toy drives, and giving tree are neededto help us serve as many as 1,263 children and provide them with something to look forward to on Christmas morning.


Help needy children and seniors in DuPage and Kane County all year round. Mark your calendar with these events, we look forward to seeing your smiling faces.

Santa Clause Is Coming To Kane & Dupage County

Santa wanted to make sure that not just our children had gifts to wake up to on Christmas morning. On Dec 23rd Steve, HSP’s Santa hopped in his gas fueled sleigh and delivered all the last minute gifts to 24 of our seniors. Dashing through Woodridge, Wheaton, Naperville, Carol Stream, Lisle, Willowbrook, Glen Ellyn, Downers Grove, Glendale Heights, and Aurora, Steve brought holiday spirit all throughout Dupage and Kane County.

When asked what he enjoyed the most about delivering all the gifts, Steve explained, that he loved that he had the opportunity to have a hands on experience with those seniors in need and see firsthand what generosity and an open heart can achieve. He also loved the appreciation that the seniors show, but when thanked by the seniors he says don’t thank me, thank the people who sent me.

He is so grateful that HSP provides him with an outlet for his generosity and how he gets to lend a hand to our needy seniors and bring a smiling face to so many that live without them.

Thanks a Million Steve for delivering all those gifts and helping our seniors Have A Merry Little Christmas!!

We Need Your Paper Products And Target Bags

Wondering what to do with all those kohl’s and target bags you have collecting in your closet and around your house. You can donate them to HSP!! We are in need of these bags to help out with our delivery day that happens each month. The bags will be used to put the 7 varieties of meat that our 120 seniors receive. Along with the meat the seniors receive around 16 varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables, non-perishable items, personal care items, breads and toiletries.

We are also in need of paper products that will help with the winter sniffles and whatever else blows through these cold winter months. Help provide the tools to cover every achoo!!
Roll on in with your toilet paper, facial tissues, paper towels and your Kohl’s & Target bags, we cannot wait to meat you!!!

Please make sure that the bags have no rip or tears in them!!

Senior Big Wish List Items

Soon we will be saying goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011. Over the past few months the seniors here have been receiving big items from big-hearted donors. These items are wished upon by the seniors and thanks to some of our fantastic donors we have provided them with many of these items. Over the course of the last 4 months a sofa, 2 recliners, a scanner, a fax machine, a VCR, a coffee table, a end table, a dresser, a desk, 2 coffee makers, a shower seat, a toaster oven, a electric heater, a Chicago Bear comforter, a crock pot, a TV stand, a luggage, chest, a bed frame and two night stands all went to our deserving and gracious seniors. We would like to give an enormous thanks not only for the donors that donated all the fantastic items, but also to the drivers who took time out of their day to pick them up and deliver them to our seniors homes, some even in apartment buildings where the donation had to be carried up stairs.


There are still items that seniors are wishing for. These items include air conditioners, air mattresses, a copy machine, a electric heater, a lift chair, a bed frame, a bunk bed, a sofa couch, a recliner and a lawn mower. If you have no more use for these items and want to donate them to someone who will use it, we would love to have it!!

Holiday Meals Delivered To 41 Needy Seniors

From Friendship day in August to Valentine’s Day in February each month fantastic volunteers help needy seniors by bringing them holiday meals and this month was no exception. With Christmas behind us, we would like to thank the volunteers who took time out of their busy holiday schedule and helped out our seniors. This Christmas 41 out of the 120 seniors had angels appear at their door step. These angels delivered home cooked or freshly bought holiday meals to the eager and grateful seniors who requested them. The volunteers first chose how many seniors they wished to provide dinner for and then the volunteers decided which holiday meal items to purchase or bake from a list provided by their senior(s). Along with their generosity and enthusiasm, the volunteers brought with them outstanding delectable’s such as turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, stuffing, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, catfish and cookies.

HSP would like to thank the 28 volunteers who helped our needy seniors have an extra special Christmas!!

We are always looking for more volunteers to deliver holiday meals. If you are interested in helping out our needy seniors we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by calling 630-221-8340 or emailing us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

It’s Christmas time again and here at HSP the holiday spirit is alive and well. So in honor of that holiday spirit we asked our HSP family, what is your favorite part of the holidays?

- My favorite part of the holidays is spending time with my daughter and my dog.

~ Sharon, Front Desk Correspondent

- My favorite part of the holidays is getting the opportunity to spend time with family.

~ Katie, Intern

- My favorite part of the holidays is all the Christmas spirit as well as all the Christmas decorations especially all the lights.

Oh and you cannot forget Christmas movies like Elf, love it!!

~ Kelly, Intern

- My favorite part of the holidays is Christmas cookies and having friends come in from out of town. Also, watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

~ Megan, Children Birthday

Project Coordinator

- My favorite part of the holidays is buying presents, because I love giving gifts more then receiving them.

~ Alex, Database Administrator

- My favorite part of the holidays is the Grinch!!

~ Jan, Toy Room Coordinator

- My favorite part of the holidays is this project, but not just the fact that we get to help so many deserving families on Christmas, but all year round.

~ Karole Kettering, Founder/Executive Director

- My favorite part of the holidays is the feeling I have when I shop for others, wrap presents, and listen to Christmas music, baking cookies. I love connecting with my family or loved one and to see all the generosity that comes through here at HSP. It is amazing to see people’s donations of their time, funds, and gifts, as well as seeing the recipients face light up when they see what we have assembled for them.

~Sarah, Senior Citizen Project Coordinator

- My favorite part of the holidays is desserts, Christmas music and the holiday spirit

~Abhi, Intern

We would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our family to yours!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

We been waiting all year for this time and the snow is glistening on the trees outside. Here inside, it’s been warming up, thanks to all the amazing donations we have been receiving. Toys-For-Tots delivered a U-haul full of toys for all the children to enjoy not just on Christmas, but all year round. To unpack such an out-of-this-world donation like this one, it took a team of 10 volunteers.

This is not the first donation Toys-For-Tots has delivered here at HSP this month, in fact this is the third time they have backed up to our dock and into our hearts.

There are not enough thank yous to express our gratitude and appreciation for the donation that is giving children the opportunity to create memories that will last a lifetime.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

‘Twas three days before Christmas and all through HSP

Everyone was preparing to help more families in need.

The gifts bags were placed by the dock with care

Waiting for families who soon would be there.

The spectacular volunteers were all aligned in their spots

While prepping for the families who have the first time slots.

With the volunteers in their coats and the 138 families in their cars

All the gifts that were provided by our fantastic donors will make all the children feel like super stars.

We would like again for all that provided the gifts

That is helping so many families on our waiting list.

We also cannot forget to thank our volunteers

Whose good heart and spirit helped spread so much Christmas Cheer!!

It's Christmas time here at HSP

Yesterday, the Christmas Offering was off and running. From morning until evening, we helped served 184 families with special gifts that will give each child a reason to run to the tree on Christmas Morning. With all the success we achieved yesterday, we couldn’t have done it without our talented and hardworking volunteers as well as the donors who provided all the wonderful gifts!!

The only ones we want to thank this Christmas is You!!

Tuesday's Christmas Offering

It’s a Tuesday full of hustle and bustle with our Christmas Offering taking place. With the help of fantastic volunteers the 184 families are receiving goodies off Santa’s dock. Each child that is being served today will be receiving a minimum of 5 new toys. Some of the special gifts that have found a deserving home are bikes, video games and roller blades.

Thank you volunteers for bundling up and helping our families have a Merry Christmas. Your hard work and jolly spirit assisted in giving all the families a smile on their faces and hope in their hearts!!

We would also like to thank all the donors that gave so many fantastic gifts. Because of your generosity, all the children will surely have visions of sugar plums dancing in their head as they wait for Santa who will indeed arrive!!

Saturday Christmas Offering

Saturday was a big day at HSP. Santa and his merry helpers brought the joy of the season to the needy. With his workshop full of not only gifts but food, 151 families became believers once more. With the help of our enormous staff of volunteers the families’ cars were packed with 300 pounds of foods including 8 varieties of fresh fruit, 13 varieties of fresh vegetables, 7 varieties of meat, a turkey and 150 pounds of non-perishable items . Also inside the cars was a minimum of 5 brand new gifts that all the amazing and generous giving tree donors provided.

We would like to give a gigantic thank you to everyone who made this day possible.

We would like to thank all the volunteers that came out and made 151 families Christmas season brighter!!

We would also like to express our appreciation for all the donors who opened their hearts to all the families who needed the assistance.

This day would not have been this meaningful or successful without all the support!!

A Frutiful Friday

Apples, oranges and green beans oh my!!

On Friday our volunteers were busily putting together and boxing fresh fruit and vegetables that went out to our needy families this past Saturday December 18th. With the families receiving cantaloupe, onions, lettuce, green peppers and carrots to name a few, the families can enjoy the holiday not only in high spirits, but good health!!

In addition with the 3 boxes of 13 varieties of fresh vegetables and 8 varieties of fresh fruit, the families will also be receiving 7 varieties of meat; a turkey included as well 150 pounds of non-perishable items totaling 300 pounds!!!

Thanks- a- melon volunteers for helping make the fruit and vegetables boxes that went to our needy families on Saturday. It was grape to have you here!!

It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later

As the holiday draws nearer, it is time to start saying goodbye to some familiar faces here at HSP. After the New Year, there will be new smiling faces filling the HSP building. Before we have to say goodbye to all the Fall interns, here is a chance to find out what working at HSP has meant to those interns.

The first intern is Katie; when she is not handling the tasks at the front desk, she is helping to assign volunteers to seniors for Holiday meals as well as getting/receiving feedback for those meals. She is also behind most of the thank you’s for the Delivery Day Volunteers and holiday meal volunteers. Her favorite part of interning is getting all the volunteers assigned to seniors and accomplishing something from start to finish. The biggest challenge she has faced is multitasking. She is going to miss interning at HSP and the routine of the many interesting tasks she’s assigned to do. Her advice to future interns is try not to get overwhelmed and allow yourself to learn something and enjoy the experience.

The second intern is Nicole, she focuses her work on creating excel sheets for both Megan the Children Project Coordinator and Sarah the Senior Citizen Project Coordinator. Also she organizes information and converses with people whether it is over the phone or face to face. Her favorite part of interning is doing service for others that truly need the support as well as all the people she works with. The biggest challenge that she has faced is learning the copier which has too many buttons and trays. When asked what she is going to miss the most she replied all the friends that I have made and also the atmosphere here. Her advice for the future interns is to be open minded about learning something new and have fun in what you’re doing.

 

Next is Kelly. You may see her face up at the front desk or answering the phones. She is also the words behind most of the daily blog and facebook. Her favorite part of interning her is getting the opportunity to do something meaningful each and every day. The biggest challenge that she has faced is multitasking. What she is going to miss the most is all the people that she met and got the opportunity to work with. Her advice to future interns is don’t be afraid to ask questions and have some fun.

 

 

Sharon is up next. She works hard on organizing and working on grants. She is also helps with speaking Spanish. Her favorite part about interning is talking to clients especially in Spanish. Her biggest challenge is organizing all 250 grants and keeping all the information in order. What she is going to miss the most is the meaning that comes from working in an organization that does fantastic things for the needy. Her advice to future interns is be flexible.

Then there is Lilianna. She works with the Senior Citizen Project Coordinator Sarah the most. She corresponds with the seniors and helps them get the care they needed whether it was with getting glasses or hearing aids. Lilianna was also one of our Spanish speaking interns that would help with phone calls as well as translations.

 

 

 

 

There is also Abhi, he worked on Thank You’s as well doing Parent Notification letters for our Children Project Coordinator Megan. Abhi worked with Sarah our Senior Citizen Project Coordinator on many projects. These projects include redoing maps so they took our volunteers driver from one senior’s house to the next instead of from HSP to each senior’s house. In addition, he made phone calls to references and helped with mailings.

Then there is Josh. Josh worked mostly with Megan, the Children Project Coordinator. He worked hard on the Feed The Kids Manuel that will help when Feed The Kids rolls around again in June, July and August. He also did client relations and made phone calls and wrote thank you’s.

 

 

 

Last but not least there is Marissa; she gives her talents to the Senior Citizen Project. She coordinates the senior big wish list items as well confirm and find donors for Christmas food and toy drives. In addition, she writes the monthly thank you’s for senior donors. Marissa’s favorite part about interning here is the hands on experience she gets to have with the seniors. Her biggest challenge was the coordination between the big items and the seniors that received them. She is going to miss the office in general and all the positive things HSP does for the community. Her advice for future interns is to be flexible and help in many areas so you can get the full experience the internship has to offer.

HSP would like to thank all of their interns for all the hard work that they have done over the last 4 months. HSP is very blessed to have such a fantastic group giving their time and talents. We will miss you!!

HSP is looking for spring interns to start in January. These internships can be designed to fit the student’s schedule within our regular work hours of Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5.30 PM.  We would like, but do not require, 20-24 hours a week over a minimum period of 3 months. We are happy to work with students on the Federal Work Study Program. If you would like to be part of an organization that gives hope to the needy in DuPage and Kane County and have a rewarding experience. Contact Karole Kettering, Founder/Executive Director, at 630-221-8340, or e-mail hsp@humanitarianservice.org, for more information. We cannot wait to hear from you!!

Giving Donations In Style

This morning, HSP had a visit from some familiar faces. 9 Kohl’s employee’s stopped by and donated 12 bags of wrapped presents for our Christmas Offering. Bringing with the toys gigantic smiles, we too couldn’t help but feel overjoyed for all that Kohl’s has been doing for us this holiday season. Including this donation, this is the second time that Kohl’s employees have been through our doors. On Monday, 5 volunteers donated their time to help us get ready for our first Christmas Offering pick up this Saturday Dec. 18th.
Thank you so much Kohl’s for your continue support. We truly appreciate It.!!!

Getting To Know Our Volunteers

Over the years, everyone has gotten the chance to get to know HSP very well. Today we are giving a behind the scene look at the people that truly make HSP possible. Today the spotlight has shined on Evelyn and Larry.

These two fantastic volunteers have been donating their time and talents to HSP for 4 and half years. In fact, this is their 4^th Christmas helping out in any way they can. Whether Larry is leading a group of volunteers or Evelyn is organizing books in the HSP library, they are a familiar face here at HSP. When they decide to get away, their favorite vacation spot teeters between Paris France and Phoenix Arizona. Actually, any place warm and with no snakes where they can get away from the cold of Illinois winter works for them. When asked what was one talent that you would want that you don’t have now, Evelyn answered to be able to do water coloring, while Larry said playing the piano and being able to make good furniture. Eveyln’s super power if she could have one would be to fly, while Larry’s would be able to print legal money to give to charity. In the spirit of the holidays, their favorite Christmas songs are Feliz Navidad and Jingle Bells.

Larry and Evelyn went on to say that HSP is a wonderful organization and they love  everything that we do, but there should be no need for organizations like this to even have to be started. If more people helped out like the wonderful people that donate to HSP, there won’t be so many people struggling each and everyday.

HSP is so honored and grateful to have Larry & Evelyn as volunteers. Our lives as well as each person they have helped are better for knowing them.

Thanks for all you do!!!