HSP Welcomes New Interns!

         Today, we are thrilled to welcome 3 new interns joining the HSP team. Regina, Tawney and Michelle (pictured below) are learning their new intern tasks and duties with our all-star intern Matt.

         By the way, this marks the first time in HSP history that twins joined our awesome intern staff. Tawney and Regina are attending Elmhurst College, seeking degrees in Elementary School Education as well as Business, and are both artistically talented. They will be working closely with our Marketing and Sales division to design new brochures and posters, along with other various tasks.

         Michelle, who joins us from Wheaton College is seeking a bachelor’s degree in political science. Michelle enjoys baking, viewing art, crafting, and reading. Along with Matt, who too majored in the Humanities, she will be working on several different assignments, which includes writings press releases, to gain knowledge and experience for her future career.

A Note to our Wonderful Supporters

We at the Humanitarian Service Project are always so delighted by all of the wonderful ways in which our supporters show how much they care for the needy children and senior citizens we serve. All of the people we serve here at HSP come from very low financial situations, and do not have enough to meet basic needs. However, the ways in which members of the community have worked through HSP to reach out to these people is always inspiring. We want to thank all of our supporters for allowing us at HSP to make such a big impact in the lives of people we so desperately need our help.

As evidenced by the bikes given to Lake Park Elementary yesterday, and our Senior Citizen Project Delivery Day last Saturday, we at HSP, and our supporters, have really hit the ground running this young year to reach out to the needy people we serve in our programs. We want to specifically recognize just a couple of our supporters whose donations this week represent the wonderful things all of the friends of HSP do for those in need.

First, we want to thank United Stationers in Carol Stream for a donation of over 150 Snoopy beanie babies for the needy children in our Children’s Birthday Project. United Stationers has been a friend of HSP for several years, and this donation of theirs is sure to bring smiles to a number of needy children. Secondly, we want to thank Carmax in Hillside for the donation of a whole mini van full of non-perishable food for the sake of the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. Marvin, who dropped off the food, said everyone at Carmax is already coordinating other ways to reach the needy through HSP. Again, we just want to thank, not just these great donors, but all of the friends of HSP. It is only through your caring support that HSP has been able to touch the lives of the countless needy families and individuals we have reached through our projects.

A Gift for Needy Children

We at the Humanitarian Service Project are excited to announce that today, 10 children’s bicycles were picked up from our center in Carol Stream to go to needy children at Lake Park Elementary School in Addison. We are happy to give the bikes to Lake Park Elementary, because we know the bikes will bring joy to very needy children at the school. HSP coordinated with Lake Park Elementary last month, as well, to provide Christmas gifts to the students through our annual Christmas Offering. We know Lake Park will put the bikes to good use, because of the great amount of need at the school. 88% of the students at the school come from families of incomes low enough to receive free school lunch.

We at HSP are always looking for more ways to reach out to those in need in our community. We have been very happy to be able to provide for the needy children at Lake Park, and look forward to doing more for them. However, it is only through the generosity of our supporters that anything we at HSP do for the sake of the needy children and senior citizens is possible. We want to thank everyone who contributes to HSP for helping us reach these needy children at Lake Park Elementary, and everyone else we serve. If you want to know more about our programs, or for ideas about how you can partner with HSP to reach out to someone in need, check out our website at: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/index.html.

A Spice of Life Donation

There is an old saying that goes “diversity is the spice of life.” This is a saying that we can get behind here at the Humanitarian Service Project. In order to do everything possible to reach out to the needy senior citizens and children that we serve, we have a number of supporters assist us at HSP in a myriad of ways. With such a diverse group of wonderful volunteers and donors, it is always interesting to see the many different ways they show how much they care for the needy people served by HSP’s Projects.

One donation came in yesterday that we feel truly exemplifies how great it is to have groups from different backgrounds contributing to HSP. This great group brought a youthful energy into reaching out to the needy senior citizens in our senior citizen. In fact, everything about this group is youthful…they’re 10. We want to thank these fantastic young donors from Forest Glen Elementary School’s 5th Grade Ambassadors Group for a donation of 40 personal care kits for the needy seniors in our program. Every young member of the group decorated a bag for one of our seniors and packed it full of items like wash cloths, tooth brushes, tooth paste, soap, cough drops,vitamins, Ensure protein shakes, and tissues, to make sure the needy seniors feel good and cared for. We know the seniors will be delighted with the bags, and want all the members of the Ambassadors Group to know that their thoughtfulness will really help a senior in need.

Overseeing a Successful Delivery Day

The volunteer loaders and drivers for our Senior Citizen Project Delivery Day this past Saturday had a little extra audience. Humanitarian Service Project’s Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer, Floyd Kettering, spotted a curious hawk surveying the event. Our volunteers sure did not fail to give this observer something to watch, as our monthly delivery day went off without a hitch. Our Senior Citizen Project Coordinator, Tierney Hogan, said despite the large snow the day before, road conditions were thankfully clear and safe for our many volunteer drivers. She also said many extra volunteers came out to help load the cars who were a big help keeping everything running smoothly, particularly because we had a few extra donated goodies going out to our needy seniors this month. We want to thank everyone who contributed to our delivery day this month. It is only through your wonderful help that HSP is able to continually make such a big impact in the lives of the needy seniors we serve.

Every month, each of the 120 needy senior citizens in our Senior Citizen Project receives over 90 pounds of much needed groceries including fresh produce, several types of frozen meats, fresh bread, non-perishables, paper products, personal care items, and a gift from their “secret pal.” We are always in need of people interested in driving these much needed groceries to the seniors either on a regular monthly basis, or as a back up for our regular drivers. Please call us at 630-221-8340, if you would be interested in serving needy senior citizens in this way.

Snow? What Snow?

Forgive the cliché but the weather outside is frightful, but Humanitarian Service Project’s volunteers are so delightful. Today, despite inclement weather, there were several volunteers who came in (many of them on short notice no less) to help us prepare for our senior delivery day tomorrow. First, there was a group of several of our wonderful supporters who made room in their schedules on short notice to help us sort all of the fresh produce for the 120 needy seniors that we will be delivering to tomorrow. Secondly, we want to thank our intrepid volunteer drivers Mike Reich and Tom Hogan, who completely shrugged off the snowstorm to pick up a donation of bread for our deliver day project as well. We want to thank all of these volunteers, Karla Hogan, Christiane Blume, Mike Bolsoni, Steve Stasiak, Marilyn Kinney, Mike, Tom, and the other friends of HSP who took time out of their day today to help prepare us to reach all of the needy seniors we will serve tomorrow.

Every month each of the 120 needy senior citizens in our Senior Citizen Project receive 90 pounds of essentially groceries including, fresh produce, several frozen meats, fresh bread, non-perishables, paper products, personal care items, and a small gift from their “secret pal.” So many wonderful friends of HSP help make this possible in numerous different ways such as, sponsoring a senior in the program, being a “secret pal,” being part of our Monday Food Sorting Team, or volunteering as a loader or driver on our delivery days themselves. If reaching out to senior citizens who are truly in need, in any one of these ways, interests you, you can see our website for more information: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/index.html.

A Senior Says Thanks

At the Humanitarian Service Project there are so many people that offer their time, talents, and resources to help us reach out to the very needy senior citizens and families that we serve. It is only through all of these people (i.e. you) that HSP is able to reach so many people in need. For that reason, when we receive a message of gratitude from someone we serve, we figure it would only be fitting for us to share it to all of you as well. So when we received a thank you from a senior today, we thought it only natural to share it with you.

The senior writes, “Many thanks to all of you and all you do. My Xmas was happier because of all your efforts. I appreciate all of the lovely gifts you sent to me, also your monthly donation. That’s what keeps me going.”

Every month each needy senior in our Senior Citizen Project receives 90 pounds of greatly needed groceries including several varieties of fresh produce, frozen meats, fresh bread, non-perishables, paper products, and a gift from their secret pal. So many of you help in so many different ways to make this all possible, we want to you to know you have both the gratitude of our needy seniors as well as our own. Thank you so much for helping HSP really reach out to so many who desperately need assistance.

HSP Welcomes a New Volunteer!

Humanitarian Service Project would like to introduce you to a new face around our office, Nancy Bagdonas. Nancy will be volunteering to help out in the office on Mondays and Fridays. Nancy will be helping in a number of ways around the office, particularly with things at our front desk. If you happen to pop in on Monday or Friday, please be sure to welcome Nancy to the HSP team!

Nancy became involved in HSP through her membership of the Carol Stream Women’s Club. Nancy joined the Women’s Club when she retired from CSX Railroad, because of her desire to give back to the community. She volunteered here at HSP through the club at Christmas time, and decided she wanted to volunteer around here regularly. Nancy is interested in learning more about how things run here at HSP in hopes that she, and the Carol Stream Women’s Club, can find new ways to help HSP reach out to the needy senior citizens and children that we serve.

Nancy’s hobbies include gardening and cycling. Nancy has been heavily involved in service for many years with her family through the MS Foundation. For years Nancy and her family have run a rest stop for the Nation MS Society’s “Tour de Farms” bike ride, and she is excited that this year she will be cycling in the event. We at HSP are excited to have Nancy volunteering here, and look forward to having her passion for service around the office.

Help a Senior: Clean Out Your Basement

A lot of people see the New Year as an opportunity to clear out their attics or basement and get rid of items they no longer have a use for. Here at the Humanitarian Service Project, we see this ritual, which many people have, as an opportunity to serve the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. The seniors that we serve are all impoverished, and don’t have money to spend on items to make their lives easier. Something that has been collecting dust in someone’s basement could be just what that senior needs. In the past many great supporters have donated items like old microwaves, bread makers, flat screen computer monitors, which we at HSP have been able to use to fill a need in our seniors lives.

Some items that our seniors have let us know that they could really use include microwaves, coffee machines, food processors, or even simpler items like silverware or a shopping basket with wheels. If you have an item like this going unused in your home, we ask that consider donating it to HSP. Please call us at 630-221-8340 to let us know about any items you would like to donate, and we will see if we could use it to fill a need in a needy senior’s life.

Help Us Spread the Word

There is an old adage that goes “make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and one gold.” We at the Humanitarian Service Project really believe in this old saying. All of our supporters (i.e. you) have been far more valuable than gold to us. Through all of your generosity, be it through a gift of your time, talents, or resources, you have all helped HSP make an impact in the lives of innumerable needy senior citizens, children, and their families.

Since we’ve been able to touch the lives of so many who desperately need assistance thanks to your help, we are always looking to meet more people interested in helping us serve even more. In order to do this, we need the help of our good as gold friends to spread the word. Whether you know it or not, you already are. Our blog is a wonderful way in which we get the word out about HSP. You can help us reach even more golden individuals like yourselves, by sending friends to our blog, or liking our posts on Facebook. By helping us get the word out, you will be (once again) helping HSP reach out to the needy people we serve.

Help a Senior: Be a Driver

With the holiday season in our rear view mirrors, things have certainly shifted here at the Humanitarian Service Project. Last month, it was the norm to have dozens of volunteers coming in everyday to help us carry the load. However, this time of year this is not the case because our needs at HSP have changed. This is certainly not to say we do not have opportunities for volunteers to help us reach out to the needy senior citizens and children we serve, far from it. Now as much as ever, there are numerous ways you can help us at HSP make a positive impact in the lives of the needy people we serve. You can learn more at our website here: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/index.html, but today we’d like to focus on one opportunity where we could always use assistance, being a senior delivery day driver.

Every month each of the 120 needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project each receive 90 pounds of groceries (including several bags of non perishables, 7 frozen meats, several types of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, paper products, and personal care items.) In order to make this a possibility, we at HSP have many regular wonderful volunteer drivers who deliver these much needed things to the seniors on our deliveries, one Saturday (usually the 3rd Saturday) every month, as well as substitute drivers who fill in for regular drivers that can’t make it. We are always looking for more drivers who wish to be regular drivers or substitute drivers. Drivers come to our center 465 Randy Road on Saturday delivery days from 8:45 to 11:45 am, and we will pack their cars with the supplies for 1 or 2 needy seniors. We will provide maps to the seniors’ homes. If helping out a senior in need by being a delivery day driver (either regular or substitute) is something you’d be interested in, please call us at 630-221-8340. We ask that our drivers provide two professional references.

Our True Blue Monday Crew

Garfield creator Jim Davis has made a career of people’s love of mischievous cats, lasagna, and their extreme dislike for Mondays. Monday may be looked upon with disgust by many people, but that is not so here at the Humanitarian Service Project. In fact, Monday is one of the most exciting days of the week here at HSP thanks to some of our most dedicated volunteers; the Monday Morning Crew.

The Monday Morning Crew comes in every Monday morning and helps us prepare for our Senior Citizen Project delivery days. The group does this by sorting, and preparing bags of non-perishable food, frozen meat, and other much needed items for the needy senior citizens that we deliver to monthly. Once a month, HSP sends out almost 5 and a half tons of much needed groceries to the 120 needy senior citizens in our program, over 90 pounds each (including several bags of non-perishables, 7 frozen meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, paper products, and personal care items.) None of this would be possible without the stalwart support of our wonderful Monday Morning Crew.

We wish to thank every member of our wonderful Monday Crew for all their heartfelt work. Their work helps us make a real impact in the lives of senior citizens who really need it, and they make Mondays around here exciting. If you would be interested in joining our Monday Morning Crew, please call us at 630-221-8340.

HSP Welcomes New Interns

Earlier this week, we introduced you to Allie and Ian, two new interns to Humanitarian Service Project. Today, we would like to continue the trend by introducing you to two more interns that began this week, so please join us in welcoming Laurie Sanoshy and Navneet Kaur to HSP. Laurie and Navneet are both students at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, who will be completing their practicum by interning at HSP. Both Navneet and Laurie said they are very excited about interning at HSP, and the experiences they will have here. Likewise, we here at HSP are looking forward to working with these two, as they both have already shown how very bright and motivated they are.

Our Senior Citizen Project Coordinator, Tierney Hogan, worked with Laurie all day yesterday, and said Laurie was very enthusiastic about the opportunity to intern here at HSP because she “is very motivated to do whatever she can to help those in need.” Navneet said HSP was her top choice to complete her practicum at, because it would allow her the opportunity to make an impact in the community, a value that Navneet says her parents instilled in her at an early age.

We are thrilled to Laurie and Navneet, and our other new interns Ian, Allie, and Julie (who starts tomorrow) here at HSP. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in helping others and gaining valuable experience in the non-profit world, an internship at HSP is a good way to accomplish both. Please call us at 630-221-8340 for more information.

Time for a Clean Slate

Many people look upon the New Year as a clean slate; a chance for new experiences and opportunities. At the Humanitarian Service Project we felt a need to have our environment reflect that, so we decided our warehouse ought to look like a clean slate. A daunting task, the clearing of the warehouse was accomplished Floyd Kettering, co-founder of HSP, Bud Newman, and other friends of the project. Bud was asked to help in our warehouse for the month of December, and stayed on a few days after the holiday to tackle the reorganizing of the warehouse. All of us at HSP could hardly believe we were looking at the same warehouse, when the job was done yesterday, as just a couple weeks ago, during our Christmas Offering, there was barely any room to stand in the warehouse. Of course, we don’t expect, or desire, our warehouse to be a clean slate for long. We are looking forward to all the excitement the New Year has to offer, and all of the needed food and other items for the needy people we serve that will pass through our warehouse this year.

No sooner was the warehouse completely cleared than it was back in action. Jon Patton, a Boy Scout of Troop 374, helped us start the New Year off right with his Eagle Scout Project. For the project, Jon, with help from his family, friends, and fellow scouts, made homemade, wooden toilet paper roll holders for all of the needy senior citizens in our Senior Citizen Project. He also donated enough toilet paper to fill all of the holders and then some. We at HSP were impressed at Jon’s workmanship, and are thrilled about his creative donation.

Jon’s donation will certainly help us at HSP get this young year started off right, by allowing us to fulfill a need for the very needy seniors we serve. If you, like Jon, would like to help us at HSP reach out to the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project by making a donation, please call us at 630-221-8340.

New Faces at HSP

The New Year is starting off bright at the Humanitarian Service Project with new interns joining the HSP team. Today we had the pleasure of having two new interns start on the same day, Ian Lovera and Allie Effrein. Ian is joining HSP to complete his practicum at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, and will be working on interviewing the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. Allie recently graduated with a degree in Non-Profit management from Indiana University, and will be working as our new Grant Writing Intern. Please join us in welcoming both Ian and Allie to HSP.

Both Ian and Allie say they are excited to be interning at HSP. Ian just moved to the area a few months ago, and says he is happy for the opportunity to get to know the community through his service here. He says he was inspired to get involved with helping others because of the example of an old pastor of his, who Ian says lived to help others, not out of obligation, but because he wanted to. Allie was very active in volunteering in college, being a big sister and working with the Boys and Girls Club, so she was happy to find an opportunity using her skills and passion as a writer to help a non-profit like HSP. Allie says she was inspired to become active in the non-profit world by her 2nd grade teacher, who Allie described as “a great humanitarian.”

We are happy to have Ian and Allie interning with us at HSP, and we are excited to have three of Ian’s classmates at Adler starting later in the week to fulfill their Practicum as well. We still have room for more interns so, if being an intern at HSP sounds like an opportunity you, or someone you know, would be interested in pursuing, you can view our opportunities online at internships.com, idealist.org, or many local colleges’ online job posting websites.