Today, HSP received a beautiful thank you card from Hermes Elementary School. As mentioned in the previous post, we were happy to reach the students most in need at several schools in our community. The school supplies have made a tremendous difference!
Thank you to all the donors who made this possible!
It warms our hearts have received such a beautiful thank you card.
The academic year has started. Here at HSP, we have been busy providing school supplies to families asking for help. Due to the support of our amazing donors and volunteers, we were able to gather enough school supplies to help over 2,000 children.
First we sent two cargo vans full of school supplies to the DuPage Back to School Fair. Then, we helped individual families with a total of over 450 children by getting all those young students ready for school. Most recently, by working directly with schools, we helped provide even more low-income children with everything they need to start the academic year. We reached the students most in need at Marquardt, Bensenville (picking up supplies on the picture), Hermes, Fullerton, Burr Ridge, Lake Park, Brady, Beaupre, Gates, Bardwell, Oak Park, and Krug elementary schools.
We thank each and everyone one of our kind donors and volunteers who made it all possible. Your support is greatly valued and appreciated by school districts, needy children, parents, the community, and all of us here at HSP! You have made a difference!
As this is being written, the sun seems to have broken free from the clouds. However, this has been a rather dreary week; we have seen a lot more rain drops than sun rays. Still, on the inside of the Humanitarian Service Project office things remain on the sunny side. This week, and every other week, there have been a lot of families coming in to pick up boxes filled with toys and party supplies as part of our Children’s Birthday Project. Any parent can tell you that a child’s birthday can be very expensive, and it can be quite hard for families below the poverty line to afford all that goes in to a birthday party. However, thanks to the support of all our donors and volunteers, HSP is able to make birthdays a little brighter for the needy children in our Children’s Birthday Project. These children are provided gifts and all of the makings of a fantastic birthday party. The mother of one of the children who received a birthday box said that her daughter was very excited for her birthday, and she wanted everyone involved in the project to know just how big of a difference they were making. We at HSP would also like to thank all of the supporters of the Children’s Birthday Project. Without your generous support, it would not be possible for HSP to reach all of the needy children that we help through the program.
If you are interested in getting involved in the Children’s Birthday Project there are a myriad of ways in which you could help. The lifeblood of the project is the sponsorship by our generous donors who graciously fund the project, but there are also a number of ways to participate for those that aren’t necessarily looking to give a monetary gift. One great way to help out is by wrapping some gifts for the project. Those who volunteer to help wrapping pick up a few unwrapped gifts at our center, take them home, wrap them all up, and drop them back off in a week or two. These are just a few of the ways our wonderful volunteers and donors help HSP keep needy children smiling and full of cake on their birthdays. You can learn more by looking up the Children’s Birthday Project on our website: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/bdayproject.html.
It seems like only a couple days ago that we at the Humanitarian Service Project were writing about how happy we were to have school supplies go out to schools with needy students (that is because it WAS only a few days ago,) but there is something to be said for striking while the iron is hot. Yesterday, HSP was delighted to have shipments of school supplies be picked up at our center in Carol Stream by representatives of two area schools, so they could quick get into the hands of children who need them. The supplies went out to Burr Ridge Middle School in (you guessed it) Burr Ridge, and Lake Park Elementary School in Addison. Both schools expressed deep thanks for the supplies, saying that there were many needy students who could really use the supplies.
Humanitarian Service Project would like to thank 1st United Methodist Church in Bensenville for the donation of between 350 to 400 pounds of apples for the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. The donation was delivered to our center in Carol Stream by Julie, from 1st United Methodist, around noon today, and was large enough that it took several of us here at HSP to unload all of them. The apples are from a local orchard, and there are several different kinds of apples. The donation is sure to keep our seniors munching for quite some time.
The apples will go to our seniors as part of the monthly deliveries they receive through our Senior Citizen Project. Every month the seniors receive over 90 pounds of groceries including around fifteen different kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, several types of meats, bread, non-perishables, paper products, and personal care items. Donations and support like this wonderful donation from 1st United Methodist Church are what allow HSP to get all of these necessary supplies to all 120 seniors every month. We at HSP would again like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone at 1st United Methodist in Bensenville for the support. You can learn more about the church at http://www.firstumcbensenville.org/ and if you are interested in learning more about HSP’s Senior Citizen Project at you can do so at http://www.humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/seniorproject.html.
It’s time for another volunteer spotlight, where we at the Humanitarian Service Project give thanks to a couple of the wonderful volunteers who have donated their time and energy into making everything around HSP run smoothly. Today we at HSP would like to thank Judy and Cindy, two longtime volunteers for our Senior Citizen Project. Judy’s relationship with HSP goes back fifteen years when she became interested in our Senior Citizen Project. She began helping out at HSP around the holidays that year, and for seven years has been coming every Wednesday to help organize our seniors’ “Secret Pal” gifts, as well as helping organize food in our warehouse. Judy must have been overjoyed two years ago, when Cindy began volunteering helping with those same tasks every Wednesday. Judy and Cindy’s work helps HSP and our “Secret Pal” donors reach out to the needy seniors in our program through small gifts and other donations. HSP is only able to reach needy seniors and children in the area through the loving work of volunteers like Judy and Cindy, and for that they deserve a big thank you.
When the outgoing summer interns were training this incoming intern on writing blog posts, they said, “When you absolutely can’t think of something to write about, doing an intern update is always a fun blog.” However, these days that really wouldn’t really take too much time. That’s not to say the interns around here are not busy, it’s just that we still have a lot of room for more interns to join our projects. Interns at Humanitarian Service Project get an in the trenches look at all that HSP does. We offer both a general internships and focused internships working with our Senior Citizen Project, Public Relations, Grant Writing, and in Marketing.
New interns aren’t the only new faces we are looking for this fall. HSP is also looking for people to fill positions in our staff. We are currently looking for an experienced, team oriented person to be our new Senior Citizen Project Coordinator, as well as, a friendly, organized person to be our new receptionist. Our positions require individuals who are computer literate (knowledge of basic MS Office programs Word and Excel is a must!)If you, or someone you know, would be interested in the experience of being an intern or to take the plunge as a staff member at HSP, please call us at 630-221-8340 for more information or send a resume and short message detailing which position you are applying for to hsp@humanitarianservice.org.
Whether you have been reading HSP’s postings for a year or just a few days, chances are you have read a line that went a little like this, “HSP would like to thank all of its donors and volunteers, without whom, HSP would not be able to fulfill its mission of reaching out to those in need.” That line makes its way into so many of our posts because it is both very true and deserves repeating. Humanitarian Service Project really is run by the strength of support received from volunteers and donors who help in a myriad of different ways. Of course, we know not everybody is in a position to make a donation, nor necessarily has the time or resources to volunteer, but that does not mean they can’t be invaluable supporters of HSP. In fact, you are supporting us right now, whether you know it or not.
We at Humanitarian Service Project received something in the mail today which we thought would be important to share. A senior from our Senior Citizen Project sent in a thank you letter saying how grateful she is for what she receives through our Senior Citizen Program. It is through the generosity of our donors and volunteers who help in a myriad of different ways to make what HSP does for the seniors in the program possible, so we felt it would be appropriate to share the thank you with all of our supporters. Instead of simply summarize the letter; we thought it best to let it speak for itself (see upper right corner.)
Every month HSP provides over 90 lbs of groceries for our seniors. They are also provided gifts from our “Secret Pals,” access to items they need through donations, and needs that are met in a variety of other ways as well. Without help from volunteers and donors, HSP would not be able to reach out to these seniors in need, so (like this grateful senior) we thank all of those who make our Senior Citizen Project a success. If you follow this link: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/SPthankyou.html you can read even more thank you cards HSP had received from our seniors showing the wonderful impact the project has made in their lives. If you are interested in helping HSP reach these seniors there are a number of ways you can help. We are always accepting donations of food, personal care items, and paper products. Please call us at 630-221-8340 to see if we there is a need you could help us fill.
It may be cloudy outside, but, thanks to all or the support we receive, we at the Humanitarian Service Project continue our mission to make things a little sunnier for children in need. HSP is happy to announce that a shipment of school supplies went out from our center in Carol Stream to two different schools today, in order to provide for students who are in need of school supplies. The supplies, delivered by volunteer drivers Rich Patera and Ted Kummerer, went to Marquardt Middle School in Glendale Heights and Hermes Elementary School in Aurora. This delivery was made possible by the overwhelmingly generous support from both individual and group donors for our School Supply Drive this summer. Because of this wonderful support, HSP was able to reach hundreds of children in need of supplies directly through their families this summer, as well as, continuing to reach more needy children through deliveries to schools such as this one. We at HSP would like to thank everyone who participated in the drive for making this all possible, and volunteers Rich and Ted for delivering the supplies to the schools, despite the weather today.Humanitarian Service Project reaches out to needy children and senior citizens in the area through a variety of projects, the School Supply Drive being one of them. We are grateful for all the support we receive from donors and volunteers, who make our endeavors possible. If you would be interested in supporting HSP, you can learn more about our different programs at our website: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/.
Friday the 23rd marks the first day of fall 2011, though it already seems like the summer heat fled long ago. As was mentioned in a post a few days ago, fall is a time when the Humanitarian Service Project is moving full steam ahead to prepare for our various holiday initiatives. However, we’d like to take this time out to reflect on summertime and to thank all of those that made summer 2011 such a great season around the HSP. Through our summer programs Feed the Kids and the School Supply Drive, donors and volunteers helped Humanitarian Service Project reach hundreds of families who needed assistance this summer. Likewise, our yearlong Children’s Birthday Project and Senior Citizen Project chugged along with a lot of fantastic assistance. We had a lot of bright, summer help in the form of our summer interns, and a lot of wonderful support in a myriad of ways from our volunteers and donors. We want to extend our thanks to everyone who supported HSP in the summer.
As mentioned previously, fall is a time transition here at HSP, and we look forward to making it just as wonderful of a season as summer was. We still have room for new fall interns if you are, or know, someone who is looking for such an experience. We also have a number of ways to get people involved around here in the coming months. You can look at our website at http://www.humanitarianservice.org/ if that appeals to you, or call us at 630-221-8340 to inquire about opportunities. Hope you had a great summer and here’s wishing you a fabulous fall!
The Humanitarian Service Project could not run without all of the volunteers who donate their time and utilize their talents to help us run smoothly. Today we wanted to give a special thanks to one of the volunteers who dedicates a lot of time and effort to help out around here, Marion. Now if you’ve visited the HSP office in the past month or so there is a good chance that you have met Marion, she’s been coming by several days a week recently helping take care of a number of important things. Marion has been helping out at HSP in a number of capacities for over a year; first as a substitute driver for our Senior Citizen Project Delivery Days, then she began assisting with food sorting for the Senior Citizen Project, and for the past couple of months helping out around the office.
Marion came to be a volunteer at HSP because of her desire to give back to the community. Marion says that “senior citizens are very near and dear to [her] heart,” which is what initially attracted her to HSP. She says when she learned more about all of the other programs HSP has going on to help the needy, she was more inspired to help out. In turn, we at HSP are inspired by all of the love and hard work Marion puts into volunteering around here. We know that thanks to the efforts of Marion, and other volunteers like her, Humanitarian Service Project has been able to touch the lives of many needy senior citizens and children in the area. We at HSP want to thank Marion and all of the other volunteers for all that they do around here.
Some of you may be familiar with a popular commercial in which a man claiming to be a raccoon explains how much “mayhem” can be caused by an animal that sneaks into your home. The commercial is for Allstate insurance, who promises to cover its customers if such a thing were to happen. We aren’t sure if a raccoon will be sneaking into our warehouse anytime soon, but if they do, thanks to the legal department from the South Barrington Allstate, those raccoons will find the warehouse a lot more organized. We at HSP would like to issue a big thank you to a group from Allstate for coming in and helping out in our warehouse. The group of eight spent nearly two hours today helping us organize donated paper products that will go out to the seniors in our Senior Citizen Project, as well bag up some donated bread so that we can get it out to people who need it as soon as possible. Thank you all so much!
We at the Humanitarian Service Project have many wonderful groups and individuals come in to help things around here run smoothly. Because of the generosity of these people, HSP is able to reach out to as many people as possible who are in need in the area. If you would like to volunteer some time to come and help out, either as a group or an individual, please call us at 630-221-8340.
Those of you who are in the habit of reading, watching, or listening to the news in the morning may already be aware that a new study conducted by The Greater Chicago Food Depository has shown that roughly 1 in 5 Chicagoans can be considered hungry. The study showed that this was not only an urban problem, but a suburban one as well, as numbers for suburban Cook County were not much better. While the study did not extend to Dupage and Kane Counties, it shows that hunger is a problem right in our backyard. What it also demonstrates is how important all of the support that our volunteers and donors give to the Humanitarian Service Project truly is because it is satisfying a very real need in lives of people. We want to thank all of our supporters for helping HSP reach out to those who are in need in the area. You can read more about the study by reading this article, http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/09/21/study-finds-1-in-5-chicagoans-are-hungry/.Every year, HSP is able to provide food for needy families through our Summer Feed the kids program, to needy senior citizens year round through our Senior Citizen Program, and both groups during the holidays through our Christmas Offering Program. With hunger being the prevalent problem that it is, we at HSP want all of our supporters to know that their help has made a positive impact in the lives of those in need. One senior in our program said that since being enlisted in the program his outlook on life has been significantly changed for the better, the food and love that the senior has received from our donors and volunteers has made a “100% difference.” We at HSP wish to thank everyone for being a part of our endeavor to make this 100% change in the lives of the needy in the area. We are always thrilled to receive any assistance to make an impact in the lives of these seniors and families. If you would like to volunteer or donate to help HSP reach as many needy individuals as possible with our programs, you can learn more at these links:
http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/donations.html
http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/volunteers.html
It’s a seasonal seventy degrees outside now, but we at the Humanitarian Service Project are already thinking ahead to a time when the mercury will struggle to get above 32. HSP always has needs for donations, and that need simply gets greater when summer gives way to fall and winter. We have a number of projects, both year round and seasonal, which rely on the generosity of our supporters to help us provide for the less fortunate. Two great ways to support HSP in these initiatives is by running a food or toy drive. It is through generous donations, via these drives, that HSP is able to reach out to those in need in Dupage and Kane Counties.
Humanitarian Service Project has many projects that get food out to those who need it in the area. We just finished our summer Feed the Kids Program a little over a month ago, but there is still the Senior Citizen Project which gets food out to needy seniors year round, and our Christmas Offering Program where we supply 2-3 weeks’ worth of food to 150 needy families is approaching quickly. If you would be interested in donating food, or potentially running a food drive, you can look for more information at this link: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/fooddrive.html. There you will find a list of food, as well as tips on how to organize a food drive.
Humanitarian Service Project also has some very good programs that provide toys to children below the poverty line. We could particularly use donations and drives to provide toys to children at Christmas time. You can find a list of toys and our Toy Drive flyer if you follow this link: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/toydrive.html. We at HSP thank all of those who have helped us with toy and food drives in the past and we want them to know that there support has touched the lives of hundreds of needy children and senior citizens in the area. If you would like to make a donation, or possibly run a food or toy drive, please call us at 630-221-8340.
We at the Humanitarian Service Project aren’t necessarily comfortable around the microphone like Eminem or Kanye West (unless someone around the office is holding out on us,) but what we lack in enthusiasm for rapping we make up for in our love of wrapping…presents, that is. HSP loves the look of a nicely wrapped gift, and we appreciate anyone who knows their way around a roll of wrapping paper. For this reason, we would like to thank Cheryl Olsen, Caroline McAlpine and all the others at St Mark’s Episcopal Church who will be wrapping presents for twelve of our Children’s Birthday Boxes. Several of the ladies came yesterday and picked up 12 bags (which amount to over one hundred items) for a wrapping party they were hosting. Thank you so much for the wonderful wrapping support!
Every year, HSP provides birthday boxes full of toys and party supplies to over 1,000 area children with families below the poverty line. With each box containing 6-15 new toys, 4 books, and some smaller gifts, HSP would have to raid several party supply stores to be able to wrap all of those gifts. Thankfully, it doesn’t come to that, because of all the wonderful volunteers, like the group from St Mark’s, who have donated their time, wrapping paper, and wrapping talents to keep the gifts for our Children’s Birthday Boxes nice and wrapped. If you would like more information about wrapping gifts for our Children’s Birthday Project, you can read more under the “Wrap Gifts for Children” heading from this link: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/volunteers.html. If supporting our Children’s Birthday Project by wrapping gifts for us sounds like something you’d like to do, either individually or as a group, please call us at 630-221-8340 or let us know.
The fear of Public Speaking is one of the most prominent fears in the world today (according to some studies it is the #1 fear.) If that is true, the volunteers for HSP’s Speaker Team must be among the bravest people on Earth. We would like to thank all of the members of our speaker team for all that they do for us. The Speaker Team is an integral part of HSP’s community outreach. The Speaker Team represents HSP at between 65-80 events per years, sharing our good works with service groups, corporations, schools and church groups. The Speaker Team has been an incredible blessing for HSP, as their efforts have generated a lot of new sponsors for both our Children’s Birthday Project and our Senior Citizen Project, as well as inspiring numerous food, toy and paper drives, and volunteers for our programs. They give a "face" to the HSP that reminds existing patrons how important their continued support is to the impoverished people we serve in our commuinity.
We would like to thank the members of our Speaker Team for taking time out of their schedules, and using their talents, to support HSP’s endeavors to reach out to needy families, seniors and children in the area. We would like to individually acknowledge all the members of our speaker team: Lesley Ronson Brown, Anne Henriksen, Christine Potthoff, Beth D’Anna, Jon Gripe, Shannon Janicki, Julie Michael, Cheryl McGarrity, Krista Ravenscraft, Jan Yong, Marilyn Sweeny, and Mike Cohen. We at HSP appreciate all that you do for us. If you would be interested in joining our fearless Speaker Team, please call HSP at 630-221-8340.
Most children in the area have only been back in school for around a month, so it is still a little early for report cards. However, if the Humanitarian Service Project were to send one to our supporters, it would definitely have straight As. HSP is delighted that we are still receiving school supply donations well into the month to September, allowing us to continue to reach out to area children and equip them with the necessary supplies to learn this year. Just yesterday we received two large and generous donations. One donation came in form of ten large shopping bags full of supplies from the Junior League of Dupage and Kane Counties, and the other came in via 25 bags of varying size from McDonald’s headquarters.The donations come at a time when HSP is busy reaching out to area school children, who are in need of supplies for the school year. Over the summer, HSP managed to get school supplies to several hundred children in need, by giving them directly to needy families. Since donor response for the School Supply Drive was so generous, HSP is now sending supplies to elementary schools in the area to reach even more children who need them. We thank the Junior League of Dupage and Kane Counties and McDonald’s for their generous donations, as well as, all of those who have helped HSP in our school supply initiative. If you would like more information about the Junior League of Dupage and Kane Counties’ efforts to build better communities you can visit their website at http://www.jlkd.org. I don’t think I have tell you about McDonald’s (just look for the golden arches) but you can learn more about their philanthropy online as well. Also, if you would be interesting in donating to HSP please call us at 630-221-8340.
Things are always busy at the Humanitarian Service Project. Our staff and volunteers have just finished with our September Delivery Day this past Saturday, in which the over one hundred seniors each received deliveries of over 90 pounds of groceries. With so many groceries going out every month, it should be no surprise that HSP is already thinking ahead to next month. We are always seeking food, personal care items, and paper products, in order to make sure we will always have enough for our monthly deliveries.
Among the items that are always in high demand are items for our senior personal care kits. The personal care kits, made for our seniors, usually contain personal care items like tissues, throat lozenges, aspirin, hand lotion etc., but things like tea, hot chocolate, and cards are nice additions as well. If you are interested in making a personal care kit for a needy senior, there is more information under the “Collect Items for Senior Care Kits” heading from this link: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/donations.html.
Another way to be involved in helping us provide for our seniors is to become a “Secret Pal” to one of the seniors. Secret Pals provide a small gift (roughly $5-$25) to one of our seniors each month, to provide a little extra joy in their lives. The gifts are delivered to the seniors, with their groceries on Delivery Day. You can learn more information by heading to this link: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/secretpals.html.
Other than senior care kits and secret pals, HSP is always looking for more paper products and non-perishable food items to send to our seniors. Paper products that are always needed include toilet paper, paper towels, and Kleenex. Some examples of desirable non-perishable food items would be; coffee, ketchup, crackers, pasta, and canned fruit. If you would be interested in making a senior care kit, being a secret pal, or making a donation please call HSP at 630-221-8340 or drop donations off the Humanitarian Service Project office: 465 Randy Road, Carol Stream any time from 9am to 5:30pm on weekdays.
Humanitarian Service Project would like to issue a huge thank you to all of those who made our Delivery Day this past Saturday a success! Every month HSP delivers over 90 pounds of groceries to the seniors in our Senior Citizen Project, which would not be possible without our wonderful corps of volunteers who donate their time and energy every month. Every month, over a hundred volunteers assist with Delivery Day in many different ways by; sorting groceries, donating gifts to the seniors as one of our “secret pals,” loading up cars, and delivering the groceries. With such an outpouring of support, we wanted to let all of the volunteers know that we at HSP, and our seniors, truly appreciate your generosity. We would especially like to thank those of you who mobilized to help on such short notice, being flexible and picking up the reins for those who could not make it on Saturday.
Several HSP staff members joined in on delivery day this past Saturday, and described it as a very fun time. Many of us here at HSP are learning the ins and outs of Delivery Day to help ease the transition for the new staff members who will be joining our Senior Citizen Project. Saturday was the last day of our Senior Citizen Project Coordinator, Sarah Grindstaff, who oversaw numerous successful Delivery Days in her tenure here. We know Sarah had wonderful support from all of our volunteers, for which we thank you wholeheartedly. We hope to see all of our volunteers’ smiling faces for future Delivery Days, and we thank you for your continued support in helping HSP reach out to needy seniors in the area.
Humanitarian Service Project would like to, with heavy hearts, say goodbye to one of our staff members. Sarah Grindstaff, coordinator of our Senior Citizen Project, will be leaving after her last Senior Delivery Day tomorrow for her new job at Dupage PADS. Sarah has been with HSP for four years, and in that time has helped our Senior Citizen Project prosper. Sarah has undoubtedly touched the hearts of hundreds of people through her work here at HSP, and we are sure she will continue to do so for all the needy people she will reach in her new job.
Sarah has been an important presence around HSP for as long as she has worked here. Many of the volunteers Sarah has worked with have been tearfully bidding farewell to her all week. Most of us here at HSP are struggling to keep up brave faces, as well. While we are sad to see Sarah go, we are gladdened to think of all the good work she has done here at HSP, and just how big of an impact she has made here. Under Sarah’s watchful eye, HSP has managed to provide help to scores of needy senior citizens. We at HSP are sure that we speak for all the volunteers that have worked with Sarah, and all of the seniors she’s helped, when we say, “We’ll miss you Sarah, and we wish you good luck!”
With fresh fruits and vegetables having been delivered by Caputo’s, HSP is excited about tomorrow’s delivery day.
Each of the 120 seniors will receive approximately 90 pounds of groceries, including fresh produce based on the senior’s individual preferences, assortment of breads, frozen meats, and non-perishables.
“This service has made such an impact on my life! Before this program, there were many times that I would go hungry. The food that I get from HSP allows me to meet my diabetic needs. I get everything that I need!”
~Ali, a senior.
HSP goes beyond delivering groceries to the seniors. Tomorrow, gifts from Secret Pals are going out to each of the seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. These gifts have been purchased and donated by kind people for the senior they secretly chose to help.
Thank you to our delivery day drivers, to the Secret Pals, and to everyone who makes a difference in our community!
Humanitarian Service Project is excited to be the subject of a new article on mysuburbanlife.com by Renee Tomell, reporter for the Suburban Life newspapers. The article, which was posted yesterday afternoon, discusses a number of the projects we have going on here at HSP including our School Supply Drive and several of the initiatives for our Senior Citizen Project. The article ran through around twenty local papers, like the Carol Stream Press, and is available online and will run in the Friday September 16th print editions.
We at HSP are thrilled to have such a well written, wonderful article to reach so many readers through all the local papers. We want to thank Renee Tomell for writing such a fantastic article. Renee really captured the ins and outs of the HSP and many of our projects to reach out to needy children and seniors in the area. We are particularly pleased with the visual representation of HSP, as the article features pictures of Cheryl McGarrity, Michelle Reeves, Kristin Maxwell, and staff member Jan Thomson, all of whom have been so important to the success of our Meal of the Month Club, School Supply Drive, and Children’s Birthday Project. If you want to read the article, it is currently one of the featured articles on the front page of the “On the Go” section at http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/otg, or just type in “humanitarian service project” in the search bar on the top right corner of the same page.
A person would not have to read or watch the news for long to know that this is a time when people are in great economic need. For many, the past few years have been a time of great economic hardship. However, we at Humanitarian Service Project are blessed to have many wonderful volunteers and donors whose reaction to the current recession is not one of doom and gloom, but one of action. Thanks to the efforts and support of all these people, HSP has continued to reach out to children, families, and senior citizens in the area that need support, regardless of the economic climate. We would like to thank the all of the volunteers and donors that keep HSP running, without you, we would not be able to make an impact in the lives of the people we serve. Thank you all so much!
Humanitarian Service Project understands that not everybody is in a situation that allows them to support those in need financially. We are grateful for those who are able to donate, but we also appreciate those who help us reach are goals through other ways. Humanitarian Service Project would be nowhere without the volunteers who donate their time and skills to help are projects run smoothly. Thanks to the efforts and generosity of all of our supporters, HSP continues to reach out to senior citizens and children in Dupage and Kane counties and provide support that they desperately need. HSP is deeply thankful for all of those who assist us in our mission, whether it is financially, through volunteering, or simply by spreading knowledge of us through word of mouth. If you would be interested in supporting HSP in any way, please call us at 630-221-8340 to let us know.
Many around the Humanitarian Service Project office were thrown off by today’s cooler weather. The calendar may read September 14th, but the cool breeze today served as a much better reminder to some of us that summer is gone and fall is here. However, inside the HSP office we have a different way of telling the changing of the season, the absence of our summer interns. Throughout the summer, HSP had several wonderful interns who worked on a variety of projects around here. Those interns have since returned to their schools and other endeavors. We wish them all the best.
While we will miss the wonderful group we had in the summer, fall grants us a new opportunity at HSP to get to know many other fantastic interns. While we already have already had two interns join us this fall, Matt and Pedro, we have many other intern positions available. Interns at HSP get exposed to a wide variety of activities that will allow them to hone their skills in a variety of areas and grant them valuable experiences relevant to many different fields. Interns at the Humanitarian Service Project get an in the trenches look at the non-profit world, and are an integral part in helping HSP fulfill its goal of providing relief to children, families, and senior citizens in Dupage and Kane counties affected by poverty.
If you, or someone you know, would be interested in becoming an HSP intern, you can learn more on our website at http://humanitarianservice.org/abouthsp/internship.html. Please feel free to call HSP at 630-221-8340 if you have any questions. HSP has had many wonderful interns in the past, and we look forward to the opportunity to have more bright interns on our team!
Humanitarian Service Project’s office got a little nicer on Tuesday; our lawn got itself a much needed trim. We would like to extend our deepest thanks to Chuck Strayve for his continued support of HSP by donating his time and effort as a landscaper. Chuck has been volunteering his time and services to Humanitarian Service Project since for roughly a decade. Chuck’s skilled hand has been beautifying the outside of the HSP office long before we moved to our current location in Carol Stream. We at HSP are certainly fans of Chuck’s handiwork, as are the geese that seem to find our lawn comfier than those of the buildings around the office.
Chuck owns his own Landscaping service, Chuck Strayve Landscaping in West Chicago, which serves Chicagoland. You can check out the company at http://www.chuckstrayvelandscaping.com. We would again like to thank Chuck for his continued support, as well as, all of the other volunteers and donors that use their talents to help HSP in many diverse and wonderful ways!
It feels like just yesterday that the mercury was flirting with the triple digits, and to head outside without sunscreen for more than twenty minutes would have been risky, but, believe it or not, we are already almost half way through September. As the early days of the month start to disappear, we at the Humanitarian Service Project become very busy preparing for our monthly Delivery Day to the seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. Every month, HSP provides all of the seniors in the project with 90 pounds of groceries which include fresh produce, several different types of meats, grains, non-perishables, personal care items and several other things. Providing this for the seniors is quite a large task, and would not be possible without our large corps of volunteers that do a number of things, such as, sorting food, packing cars, and delivering to the seniors, not to mention all of those who donate food to make the project a reality. We would like to thank all of those who have volunteered or donated to make our monthly Delivery Days successful in the past.
Delivery Day for this month is this Saturday, September 17th, and we are currently looking for 2 more drivers to deliver the groceries to our seniors. Each driver would have a route to two seniors’ homes to drop off the groceries at. The two routes that are still without drivers both deliver to two seniors in Aurora. Drivers start at the Humanitarian Service Project in Carol Stream where their cars are loaded with the groceries. Maps to the seniors’ homes are provided to the drivers. If you would be interested in helping, please call HSP at 630-221-8340. If you are new to us, we ask for two professional references. We thank all of those that help in our endeavor to help those in need!
(Sean (center) with his sister (left) and mother (right) in front of the paper products he collected)
Humanitarian Service Project would like to issue a huge thank you to Eagle Scout Sean Perez of Scout Troop #351. Sean decided that for his Eagle Scout Project he would run a drive collecting paper towels, Kleenex, and toilet paper and donate it to HSP. Sean is certainly a very motivated scout, because he collected a truly staggering amount of paper products that will go to the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. Sean and several members of his family, including his mom Michelle and sister Amber, had to come by the HSP office three times yesterday afternoon to drop off the paper products he had collected in multiple trucks and vans each time. In total Sean managed to collect an astronomical 679 boxes of Kleenex and 1440 and 3312 rolls of paper towels and toilet paper respectively. We at HSP were excited by how much Sean had managed to collect!
Sean collected all of the paper products by seeking donations from his neighbors, family, and the Jewel in Carol Stream. Sean surprised himself with how successful his project was, “I thought it would be less,” he said. Sean’s mother Michelle was very proud of her son, and very surprised at the how generous everyone was! Still, she said she was “happy to get everything out of the house.” It is a wonder they managed to even fit it into a house because, when all was said and done, the HSP warehouse was a lot less roomy. We at Humanitarian Service Project would again like to thank Sean, his family, and everyone else who assisted Sean in the project. We are happily stunned by such a large donation, which we will be able to get directly to those who really need it. If you would like to make a donation big or small (or, as in Sean’s case, humongous) please call the Humanitarian Service Project at 630-221-8340 to see if we could use it to help someone in need.
Humanitarian Service Project would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to U.S. Cellular for a large donation of food for our Senior Citizen Project. The supplies were dropped off at HSP this morning by U.S. Cellular employee Sabine Miller in a minivan loaded with food. Sabine said that everyone at U.S. Cellular was very motivated to help senior citizens in need, and were drawn to the Humanitarian Service Project because of our work with senior citizens in the area.
The food came in at a very convenient time. HSP’s monthly Delivery Day to the seniors we support is this upcoming Saturday, September 17th. Each month HSP provides 120 needy seniors from Dupage and Kane counties with 90 pounds of groceries on our monthly delivery days. The groceries given to the seniors include a variety of things including frozen meats, 15 various fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, non-perishables, paper products, and personal care items. With so many groceries to provide to the seniors, it is no surprise that we at HSP are always thrilled to receive a donation such as this one, because food is always in demand. We would like to thank U.S. Cellular for the fantastic donation, and all those who help us in our mission to help needy children and seniors in the area. If you would like to make a donation, they can be dropped off at the Humanitarian Service Project Office:
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Phone: 630-221-8340
Humanitarian Service Project is happy to announce that a large cache of school supplies went out today to five elementary schools in the area with students in need. The school supplies went out to five Aurora school district 131 elementary schools; Oak Park, Bardwell, Beaupre, Krug, and Gates. The supplies were donated to HSP by a great number of donors through our summer School Supply Drive. After HSP supplied many needy families with school supplies, we reached out to area schools directly to make sure that all of the supplies we received through donations got in the hands of students in need as soon as possible.
The supplies went out to the schools this morning in a van packed to the brim with school supplies driven by volunteers Bob and Mike. We would like to thank Bob, Mike and everyone who participated in our School Supply Drive this summer. Thanks to your generous donations, HSP managed to reach hundreds of children in need directly to their families, and many more through donations to schools like this one.
The mission of the Humanitarian Service Project is to supply aid to children and senior citizens in Dupage and Kane counties who are in need. We are always accepting donations of all kinds to fill the needs of those in poverty. If you would like to make a donation please call us at 630-221-8340 to see if we could use your donation to satisfy a need.
Subaru of America Foundation, Inc is one of of the amazing supporters of the Humanitarian Service Project. For the past six years, they’ve contributed to our Feed the Kids project.
This year, Subaru interviewed the Co-Founder and the Executive Director of HSP, Karole Kettering, for the Subaru Drive online magazine. This magazine has over 1 million readers. We are thrilled to let you know that not the interview will be published in their magazine, but also a video that HSP produced about our Feed the Kids project.
Volunteer Cory Lusk was the videographer/ director/ editor/ stuntman behind the scenes of this awesome video. Cory, along with his friend and our summer intern Michelle Flinn, worked together to create this amazing video. A big thank you goes to both of them for making it!
You can currently view this video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTTHsFjf19Y
Thank You Subaru of America! You make a difference in the lives of needy families!
Andrew joined the HSP intern team in the early summer. What a force he has been! And with the summer coming to an end, we were sad to say our goodbyes to Andrew. With his internship completed and great experience gained, Andrew is going back to Northwestern University to continue his studies in Pharmaceutical Engineering.
In his last day here, Andrew has completed a big project. Every August, we provide needy children with school supplies, and Andrew was the one to compile a digital grid with the information of all the families and children we served.
Being technologically savvy, Andrew also compiled a Website Instruction manual earlier during his internship with us. This manual is to help us keep our webpage updated.
We thank you Andrew for the great job you have done, and wish you success in your studies, career, and future goals.
We encourage college students to apply for open internships here at HSP. We partner up with several different colleges, and we’ve welcomed interns from all across the United States.
Our Summer interns with HSP Staff members
You can go here to find out more about our internship opportunities with instructions on how to apply:
HSP would like to thank a generous private donor for a number of Texas Instruments scientific calculators. Thanks to the donation, HSP was able to get the calculators out to families with children who needed them for the new school year. The calculators will allow students to do much more than simply crunch numbers, as they have functions useful for algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. We’d like to thank the donor for helping us equip students to learn this year, and we wish good luck to all the math students helped by the donation, whether they will be wrestling with radicals and cosines or plain old multiplication this year.
We at HSP would like to thank the donor of the calculators, and all of those who donated supplies to our School Supply Drive this past summer. Thanks to all of your support HSP managed to get school supplies out to hundreds of needy children for this school year. With the school year already in full swing, our School Supply Drive is slowing down, but that doesn’t mean there are no donations needed at HSP. These calculators managed to help seven people on our list, but we still have a wait list for supplies such as these. HSP has a number of year long, and seasonal, programs that help area families and senior citizens in need. If you have anything from soup to nuts (or calculators) that you would like to donate please call us at 630-221-8340 to see if it could be used to fill a need.
HSP would like to welcome our new part-time volunteer Veronica, who will be helping us out at the HSP office a couple of days a week starting today. Veronica says what compelled her to volunteer for HSP was her desire to help children in need. She read an article all about HSP in her local paper, and thought she would love to help out. She started volunteering with the Children’s Birthday Project and, now that her 6-year-old son is going to school all day now, she thought she’d extend her help in other areas. She certainly has been of assistance to us! Her first day hasn’t even ended yet and she’s already lent a hand in many of the areas we need help. HSP would like to extend our sincerest thanks.
Veronica is just one of many great volunteers that help things run smoothly here at HSP. There are those who graciously donate their time and energy to assisting with a number of projects here at HSP. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the fantastic volunteers without which, what we do at HSP would not be possible. If volunteering at HSP is something you would be interested in doing, please call us at 630-221-8340. We would love to hear from you!
In this modern age, technology is becoming a necessity, as well as an important means of communication. The Humanitarian Service Project (
If you would like to donate or volunteer, please contact the Humanitarian Service Project office at:
Phone: 630-221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org
Humanitarian Service Project is currently looking for two part time employees to coordinate our Senior Citizen Project. We are looking for two motivated people who would be interested in joining our team for five hours every weekday, and on our monthly delivery days one Saturday a month. One position would be more oriented towards coordinating the volunteers and donors that make our Senior Service Project possible and the other would be more administrative, but both positions require someone with good communication skills and a desire to help those in need.
For both positions we are looking for someone with a Bachelor’s degree, and 2-3 years experience in the non- profit industry. Being skilled in Microsoft Office programs like Word and Excel are a must. The positions are team oriented, so friendly team players are those who will excel in these positions.
Our Senior Citizen Project serves needy seniors in DuPage and Kane counties by providing them each with over 90 lbs of groceries every month, but also helping fill their needs be it glasses, dentures, hearing aids, furniture etc. If this is a project you think you would be a good fit for, please feel free to apply. You can call us with questions at 630-221-8340, and view the listing at idealist.org.
Humanitarian Service Project is proud to welcome a new intern, Pedro Gomez. Pedro is currently enrolled as a graduate student at North Eastern Illinois University where he is going for a Masters of Science degree in Accounting. Pedro recently received his bachelors in accounting from the same school. Pedro will be utilizing his skills by helping HSP with accounting, making everything around here run a little smoother.
Pedro is originally from Lima, Peru and moved to the United States nine years ago with his family. Pedro is a man who really enjoys sports; he gets out to play tennis at least twice a week. However, his favorite sport to watch is soccer which he claims he could “watch all day long.” Pedro also has a flair for volunteering. He previously volunteered with children in the kidney ward at UIC hospital in Chicago.
Pedro is looking forward to using his skills to have a fun and beneficial internship here at HSP. He is excited to begin and is sure he will have a good relationship with everyone here, a sentiment that well all return. We are happy to have Pedro on our team!
If you are interested in becoming an HSP intern, please contact us to set up an interview:
Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel. (630) 221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org
HSP staff shared joys and tears as another group of interns graduated HSP.
Andrew and Mo are ending their summer internships. Andrew, who will be leaving next week, says he learned the ins and outs of office work. He compiled a Website Instruction manual to help us keep our webpage updated. Having volunteered at HSP while he was still in high school, Andrew is now pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering at Northwestern University.
Michelle, who asked us to call her Mo in the office, because we had another intern named Michelle working with us at the time, says she was thrilled to have gotten the opportunity to intern at HSP. She worked on several projects, including compiling a manual on Community Outreach Communications, writing press releases, designing our marketing material, and helping with administrative duties. Mo’s last day was yesterday, and she is moving to work with Radio Disney, a job she secured with HSP’s help.
We thank you both Andrew and Mo. Your effort, dedication, work ethic, and attitude have made an impact this summer. We wish you all the best, and hope your paths will be full of success.
We encourage college students to apply for open internships here at HSP. We partner up with several different colleges, and we’ve welcomed interns from all across the United States.
You can go here to find out more about our internship opportunities with instructions on how to apply:
http://humanitarianservice.org/abouthsp/internship.html
As a tradition, we celebrated a goodbye party for Andrew and Mo.
Humanitarian Service Project (
Lions Club International and its individual community clubs have been great friends of
To learn more about the Lions Club, visit their website at http://www.lionsclubs.org.
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