Friday, May 31, 2013

Live with his Band- Jim Gill!


            Jim Gill’s Family Room Tour is just around the corner and is being hosted by Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School. This July, during his tour Jim will be performing in Naperville and all the proceeds will be given to Humanitarian Service Project.
Jim Gill is a musician and author with unique credentials among children’s artists. Jim is a child development specialist and has completed his studies from The Erikson Institute of Chicago.
            Jim has released six award- winning CDs of music play for young children that are favorites in family rooms, classrooms, and playrooms. Jim also speaks to early childhood educators, care providers and children’s libraries across the country about the many benefits of play in young children’s lives.
            Susie Vaughan (school admin
istrator) says, “Jim Gill and his music create an environment for learning and laughter. That’s why his music has become a staple amongst the preschool set. Not only are the children learning; they are moving and laughing with the adults in their lives. Jim makes a connection with kids and parents in a very special way, which helps build a special connection between children and their parents.” 
            HSP’s is very thankful to Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School and Jim Gill for this wonderful fundraising effort.
            The concert is on July 20th at 10am & 3pm, at Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School. And on July 27th at 10am at CCC (Community Christian church) Gymnasium. Ticket price is $5 and children under 2 years old are free with the donation of one non-perishable food item. Please contact Lisa at 630-416-1516 for more info.

            

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Mothers and Daughters Serving Others

Today, the Humanitarian Service Project hosted a wonderful group from the Greater Naperville Chapter of the National Charity League. There were nine volunteers from this group and it was the first time they volunteered with HSP. This group helped us by preparing100 boxes weighing 25 lbs each of non-perishables for our Feed the Kids program. The program came to life when our founder Karole Kettering saw an article expressing how impoverished families had a need for nutritious food during the summer months when school subsidized lunches are unavailable. Two of our new interns, Ashvini and Lindsey worked with the group, assisting and answering questions.

The group volunteered today as a part of their mission, “Our mission is to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic organization committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences”. The Greater Naperville Chapter is the first chapter in Illinois, so we are very happy to work with each other and be apart of their 10 philanthropies. We would like to thank them for giving their time to and energy for such a great cause.


The National Charity League through our Feed the Kids program will help provide 100 impoverished families with a 175 lb grocery package during the months of June, July, and August. These grocery packages supplement the diet of children when federally subsidized lunches they rely on for their nutrition is not available. If you are interested in volunteering with at the Humanitarian Service Project – Feed the Kids, call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Two Generous Drives from Local Schools Came in Yesterday!

             Yesterday HSP received donations from two local high schools, Downers Grove South High School and the Spanish Honors Society of Geneva High School. Both schools expressed their dedication to reaching out to the community. The HSP team is excited to add the donated items to packages that are sent out monthly to seniors in need.


            The first donation received was from Downers Grove South. They have been a steadfast supporter of HSP and contribute greatly through food drives. Yesterday, Jay Baum, a teacher and basketball coach at Downers Grove South, dropped off 12 boxes and 4 bags full of nonperishable items, which were collected by students. They have done a lot for HSP recently and we appreciate all of their efforts. We are thankful for their willingness to provide items and donations so we can better serve needy seniors. Thank you, Downers Grove South, for your continuous support and donations!

            Our second donation came from the Spanish Honors Society of Geneva High School. Gina Nolan, a teacher at Geneva, dropped off paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, and Kleenex), which filled the trunk and back seat of her car. A few of the paper products are pictured to the right. Geneva High School responded to our need for more paper products for our Senior Program, which we are very excited about! HSP thanks the Spanish Honors Society of Geneva High School for responding to our need for paper products and for your generous donation.               
                                                                                                                                                  

                Everyone at HSP is thankful for all the time and work that went into planning a drive to collect food and paper products. HSP is fortunate to have local schools that are eager and willing to respond to the call of action. In addition to donations, HSP looks for volunteers for our other projects. If you are interested in volunteering your time at HSP or donating, please contact us by email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org, or call us at (630)221-8340.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Welcome 3 New Interns to HSP


           Over the past week we at the Humanitarian Service Project have been happy to welcome three interns to our summer intern team. These interns will be assisting HSP staff with a number of programs to better serve the needy seniors and families.
   The first intern we would like to introduce you to is Nathan Rygh, a student of the Project Management program at Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Virginia. After Nathan completes his internship with us at HSP he will continue on to his senior year at Liberty University. Nathan aspires to work in international business in the non-for-profit sector. Nathan brings his experience to HSP though his current work in the Community Care Initiative program. One of Nathan’s roles in Community Care Initiative is to lead teams to do community service through Habitat for Humanity and various Nursing Homes.  Through his community service work
Nathan has learned to build strong relationships and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with serving others. Besides his great interest in helping others, Nathan is a big sports fan, in particular basketball. Nathan will be working with our HSP staff to assist with our Feed the Kids program.
   Ashvini Patel is majoring in Political Science and Pre-law at St. Louis University. When Ashvini graduates from St. Louis University, she aspires to attend law school for further education. Ashvini is a perfect fit for the Humanitarian Service Project, in her past  she volunteered for “Habitat for Humanity” and a soup kitchen located near her school. Ashvini was also a Member of Carol Stream Youth Council. Ashvini’s experience in an office environment will assist HSP greatly through her work with several HSP projects and assisting HSP staff. When not involved in school, or service, Ashvini’s other interests include dance. She is a trained instructor in North Indian Classical Dancing.

   Last but not least, HSP would like to give a warm welcome to our newest intern joining the summer intern team, Allyssa Babecki. Allysa is currently attending Elmhurst College and is majoring in urban studies. At the end of the summer, Allyssa will be retuning to Elmhurst College to finish her last semester there. After graduation, Allyssa hopes to work for a non-for-profit organization. Allyssa expressed her interest in HSP because she wanted to work hands on with helping people. Allyssa has previous experience from working with Feed My Starving Children and Operation Christmas Child, which was through her church. Along with that she loves to read in her spare time and her favorite author is Mitch Albom.   From her time at HSP, she hopes to develop an understanding of what it is like to work with non-for-profit.
We feel Ashvini, Nathan, and Allyssa will be a perfect fit for HSP, and we are excited to be welcoming them to the team!





Friday, May 24, 2013

Volunteer with HSP and Have a Blast at the Ribfest!

              Come out and volunteer for HSP at the Exchange Club of Naperville’s Ribfest. This is a community fundraiser, which benefits local agencies working towards the elimination of child abuse, domestic violence, and the affects of poverty on children.  Over the years, the Exchange Club of Naperville has raised millions of dollars that were given back to the Naperville and the surrounding communities.  
            The Ribfest is right around the corner, starting on July 3rd and ending on July 7th. This annual event raises funds for a number of local charities, including our very own Humanitarian Service Project! A portion of the money given to HSP will be determined by the amount of volunteers who sign up for the event to represent HSP. The more volunteers we get, the more money we receive to serve the needy children and families in our summertime Feed the Kids program!
            For a successful Ribfest this year, they are looking for a great number of volunteers to come out and help. Ribfest will need up to 1,000 people each day.
            Volunteers can sign up to work six hour shifts either serving in the beverage tent, manning the event’s entrance gates, helping in the children’s play area, and much more! There are many opportunities for all ages and volunteers should plan to work an entire shift. Volunteer shifts are 11:00am-5:00pm and 4:00pm-10:00pm everyday except on July 3rd with only one shift 3:00pm-10:00pm. Volunteer sign up is now open, so sign up as soon as possible because selective positions and time slots go fast. If you wish to sign up, call HSP at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org Go out there and represent our HSP at this exciting and fun event.
            Along with that, all the volunteers receive a free volunteer T-shirt and free admission into the park the day they are volunteering. In addition, get to enjoy some of the great bands that will be performing like STYX, Casey James, Love & Theft, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators, Rick Springfield and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
             


Thursday, May 23, 2013

Pleasantdale Middle School 8th Graders and US Cellular

         Today, the Humanitarian Service Project was grateful to host two very hardworking groups. We had 11 volunteers from Pleasantdale Middle School and 14 volunteers from US Cellular. Both of these groups worked on putting together non-perishable food and boxed them up for our Feed the Kids program. Kristin Dixon, one of our amazing HSP volunteers helped us out by working with these two groups today.

          Pleasantdale Middle School brought us 9 students and two adults this morning. We had such a passionate group of 8th graders from Kay Lewellyan’s homeroom class sort and box non-perishable food. This food will be distributed to the 100 needy families served by our Feed the Kids program, as part of the 175 lb grocery package they will receive in June. Pleasantdale Middle School has their 8th and 7th graders volunteer twice a year with different organization and this would be their second volunteer day this year. They've been coming to HSP for quite a few years now and love the idea of kids helping other kids.
          Along with the middle school, we had a big group of volunteers for US Cellular in Schaumburg join us today. Karl Reinbolt, at US Cellular, organized this group of 14 volunteers, to come in and sort food for our Feed the Kids program.  All of the volunteers were very enthusiastic about the work they did.
          Through our Feed the Kids program HSP provides 100 impoverished families with a 175 lb grocery package during the months of June, July, and August. This supplements the diet of children when federally subsidized lunches they rely on for their nutrition is not available. If you are interested in volunteering with at the Humanitarian Service Project – Feed the Kids, call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Edison Middle School Donates $1,200


Edison Middle School Students
Edison Middle School donated more than $1,200 to Humanitarian Service Project this week! The money was raised through an event called “Money Madness” which is similar to Penny Wars where each class receives a jar to collect coins and the class that collects the most, wins. Grades sixth through eighth participated in this event, making it a huge success. Money Madness was sponsored by the Student Council and the advisers Virginia Jones and Heather Gordon helped make this great event possible! The money raised by Edison Middle School will be used towards the Children’s Birthday Project.

Kristin with Edison Middle School Student
Kristin, our Assistant Executive Director, and Karole’s successor, represented HSP at the school yesterday afternoon and was overwhelmed by how generous the students were! The Middle School has done many fundraisers for us before with equally generous results.  Everyone at HSP is extremely grateful to the students at Edison Middle School. Thank you!

The Children’s Birthday Project provides birthday gifts for more than 900 children ages 3 to 11 living in poverty in DuPage and Kane County. Through the Project, we give the children a Birthday Box that weighs 20-25 pounds and contains 6-10 new toys, 6 new books, a game or activity kit; plush animals; several smaller gifts, and a “Party-in-a-Bag” that contains cake mix, frosting, candles, balloons, plates, cups, hats, party favors, streamers and more! If you or your organization would like to volunteer or donate, send us an email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Generous Gift from DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church


HSP received a very generous gift from the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church yesterday. This gift was 62 party-in-a-box kits. These party-in-a-box kits will provide 62 out of the 900 birthdays included in the Children’s Birthday Project. The Unitarian Universalist Church middle school youth accomplished this project by first raising money for the party-in-a-box gifts, buying new supplies for the kits, and finally assembling and wrapping all of the kits. The Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located in Naperville, does its very best to serve the community to fulfill the church’s goals.

What is a party-in-a-box specifically? The kit includes items such as cake mix, frosting, candles, balloons, streamers, cups, napkins, and plates. The party-in-a-box is only a portion of the Birthday Box that each child receives. These items in the party-in-a-box are necessary for children to have a happy birthday. If you wish to become involved in the Children’s Birthday Project, visit our website at http://humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/donations.html.

Monday, May 20, 2013

HSP Says Farewell to Three Interns


There have been many bittersweet moments this past week at HSP as we bid farewell to three of our wonderful spring interns. These interns have been working with HSP for the past couple months and have greatly contributed to the success of many of HSP’s programs.
Emma is front row, third from left
Emma Ewing was an accounting intern while at HSP, and a majority of her work was done with Floyd Kettering, the CFO and co-founder of HSP. On her last day, Floyd mentioned that Emma’s assistance was incredibly helpful and that she was very professional. Emma will be starting another internship in order to receive enough hours to take her CPA exam.
David is front row, fourth from right
David Patterson worked with the senior updates while he was interning with HSP. The senior updates are given to the supporters of our Senior Citizen Project, and it gives a brief update on how the individual senior’s lives have been changed with the help and support of our donors. David will be graduating from Elmhurst College and will be entering a program to become a paralegal.
Karima is front row, sitting
Karima Daboub was working on a project with the HSP team in order to complete her Master of Public Health degree at Benedictine University. With her degree, Karima plans to return to Libya and help provide nutrition to those in need. Today was Karima’s last day, so she provided authentic Libyan food for lunch so that HSP could experience a small part of Libya’s culture.  
It is very hard to say goodbye to these hardworking interns, but HSP in excited to see how they succeed in their next stage of life and hope the very best for them. 


Friday, May 17, 2013

Thank you Sabre Holdings and Kohl’s (Wheaton) volunteers!


Every month the Humanitarian Service Project distributes over six tons of groceries to 121 needy seniors enrolled in the Senior Citizen Project. Each senior is provided with over 100 lbs of groceries. Seniors are given an assortment of food including a variety of frozen meats, vegetables, fresh fruits, paper products, and items for personal care. On May 17th, 2013 volunteers from Kohl’s (Wheaton) and Sabre Holdings came to help sort bread, produce, and canned goods to help the Humanitarian Service Project sort the large amount of food provided by the National Association of Letter Carriers annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

The Chicago employees of Sabre Holdings provided ten volunteers for the morning shift and eight volunteers for the afternoon hours. Sabre holdings is a global technology company that provides services for people all around the world to plan, book and get to their destination for an appropriate price and time. The volunteers from Sabre Holdings came prepared to work diligently. The employees of the Humanitarian Service Project had the chance to work with the volunteers from Sabre Holdings. We noticed that they were kind, fun individuals looking to give back to the community.

The other group of volunteers came from Kohl’s department store in Wheaton, Illinois. Kohl’s of Wheaton regularly sends volunteers to help us here at the Humanitarian Service Project. As always the volunteers from Kohl’s worked hard and brought good attitudes to the Humanitarian Service Project. The five volunteers helped sort produce for our delivery day tomorrow for the seniors of DuPage County.

The Humanitarian Service Project wants to thank the volunteers of both Kohl’s and Sabre Holdings for their hard work so that we may provide much needed groceries to the impoverished seniors in our Senior Citizen Project.  If you are interested in donating or volunteering your time with the Humanitarian Service Project, call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

FT Really Cares By Donating 50 “Party In a Bag” Kits for CBP!



Yesterday a very generous donation came through the doors of HSP’s office. FT Cares donated 50 “party in a bag” kits which are distributed through HSP’s Children’s Birthday Project.  FT Cares the charitable branch of First Trust, a financial services firm in Wheaton, a neighboring town of Carol Stream
The kits were dropped off by Lisa Weier, an associate of First Trust, and representative of the foundation.  FT Cares has recently gained 501(c) 3 charitable status, which means they are a viable charitable organization. Not only does FT Cares donate goods to non-profits around the area, they also have employees who volunteer their time to helping those in need. 
Lisa Weier with the 50 donated bags. 
When all of the boxes were gathered and put away, the bags filled our upstairs staging room. The bags were a wide assortment of colors, featuring themes that would be flashy and attractive to the children we serve.  Some of the deigns on the bags include: lions, parrots, sea creatures such as octopi, and sharks.  Other bags had fireworks with the words “happy birthday”.  Along with the 50 pre-packaged bags, Weier also dropped off two bags of extra birthday things that can be used for bags that may not have enough goodies.  All of the bags are made up for appropriate age or gender.
HSP would like to thank Lisa and everybody who donated to FT Cares for the CBP donation.  Your donations are what keep HSP up and running smoothly on a daily basis.  Without your generosity, HSP wouldn’t be able to provide the services to the neediest people in our area. 
Aside from donations HSP also appreciates volunteers who can spend their time in our warehouse in Carol Stream helping to sort food, or do other similar tasks as we get ready for our summer program, Feed the Kids.  If you are interested in donating or volunteering your time with HSP, call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Giant Steps help HSP take a Giant Leap



Yesterday, the Humanitarian Service Project (HSP) was very thankful to receive help from children of the school Giant Steps. Giant Steps is a school that is located in Lisle. Their goals are to provide educational and therapeutic programs for individuals and groups that are affected by autism. Their programs are designed to help children, ranging in age from elementary to high school, develop/improve their communication, academic, and daily living skills.

HSP was happy to help them continue their development as we had 16 hardworking volunteers from Giant Steps that came to our warehouse yesterday. They split up into two separate groups, morning and afternoon, where they volunteered their time to helping sort and organize non-perishables that were collected from the Stamp out Hunger event that occurred this past Saturday. All of the food that was collected from this event will be used for our Senior Citizen Project and Feed the Kids program. These kids did a fantastic job of remaining positive and working diligently to help us sort through food for our disadvantaged seniors and families.

All of Giant Steps volunteering yesterday will help HSP make a giant leap in improving the lives of our very needy seniors and families. We are always looking for more enthusiastic and hardworking volunteers so if you or your organization is interested in volunteering for HSP give us a call at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org for more information.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

HSP Welcomes Two New Interns!


This past week, Humanitarian Service Project happily added two new interns to their summer intern team. HSP would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the two interns, Lindsey Conger and Ashley Bondarowicz. We here at HSP are excited for them to join our intern team.

Our first intern is Lindsey Conger, a student who attends Indiana University. Lindsey is a journalism major with a specialization in public relations.  She’ll fit in perfectly with our PR team, whose work includes getting the public informed about HSP.  Lindsey will be helping HSP get the word out about all the opportunities we provide to serve the needy seniors, children and families in our programs. Lindsey hopes to have a career in non-profit work, which is what led her to join our internship team. The PR for HSP includes writing for newspapers for both print and online publications, and writing this very blog.  Lindsey hopes to join a non-profit in North Carolina when she graduates.  She will graduate at the end of the fall 2013 semester. 

Lindsey has expressed that she wants to feel like her work makes a difference, and strayed away from corporate PR and stuck to non-profit PR. Besides non-profit work, Lindsey likes to go biking in her free time

Lindsey has a history of volunteerism and internships with non-profits.  She has spent time in an internship with Middle Way House, in Bloomington, Indiana.  Middle Way helps out with domestic abuse against women.  Middle Way “really opened” Lindsey up to the possibility of great work that can be done through non-profit organizations.

HSP would also like to give a warm welcome to our second intern joining the team this week, Ashley Bondarowicz.  She is also a part of HSP’s summer intern team.  Ashley attends St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, where she is a double major studying towards a communication and graphic design degree. After graduation, Ashley hopes to work in PR, marketing or advertising. 

Ashley has expressed that service and volunteerism are both important parts of her life, which really coaxed her to the internship with HSP.  In her time here, Ashley will be working with our PR team to get the word out to the public about HSP

Ashley has spent time volunteering and raising funds for the Special Olympics, and for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. In her time here, Ashley hopes to learn more about the working environment. Some of Ashley’s favorite activities to do in her free time include running and doing crafts.

Again, HSP gives a warm welcome to both Lindsey and Ashley as they join our summer intern team.  Both women are excited for the opportunities that interning with HSP has to offer.  We here at HSP are grateful for the young women joining us for the summer. Help us welcome both women to our team

Monday, May 13, 2013

Three Volunteer Groups at HSP Today!


Today was a very busy day at the Humanitarian Service Project. Volunteers from three different groups came in and generously donated their time to assist us in our warehouse. Volunteers from Insight Inc., Girl Scout Troop 1072, and Cantigny assisted us with sorting and packaging non-perishable food items. The food items that were being packaged were collected from the Stamp out Hunger event that occurred this past Saturday. It’s perceived approximately 18,040 pounds of food for the needy seniors and families we sponsor came in from this event.


Insight Inc. has become a fast friend of HSP. Just this past month they held a food collection drive for our needy seniors.  Their company allows every employee to have sixteen paid volunteer hours every year. Today two of their employees contributed part of their volunteer hours to helping us sort through and package some of the food items collected.

The girls of Girl Scout Troop 1072 from Fry Elementary School in Naperville also joined us as they came in to donate a few hours on their day off of school. This troop has volunteered for us in the past with present wrapping and enjoyed the experience so much that they wanted to come back. Eight 5th grade girls and their two troop leaders assisted us in our warehouse with sorting and organizing through some of the non-perishable food items.

We also were lucky to have Cantigny with us today with seven volunteers at our center. Cantigny allows its employees to partake in four community service days per year and these seven chose to spend today with us. The volunteers spent the day sorting and boxing non-perishable food items and creating bags of meat for our needy seniors.

Thank you to all of our volunteers today. If you or your organization is interested in volunteering for HSP give us a Call at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org for more information. 

Friday, May 10, 2013

A Van Full of Bread for Lake Park Elementary!


Yesterday, the Humanitarian Service Project was happy to donate a “van filled to the brim” with loaves of bread to the needy children and families at Lake Park Elementary School (LPE) in Addison. Liz Southwell, a school administrator, said, “We couldn’t believe how generous of a donation it was! Each child received two-three loaves of bread.” HSP was extremely happy to be able to help these impoverished children!

At LPE almost 90% of the 400+ students are receiving subsidized lunches. Because of such high levels of poverty in the area, whenever it’s possible HSP brings any bread that we have available in order to help these children get the nutrients that they need.  In addition to food donations, 216 impoverished students at the school are also involved in our Children Birthday Project. During the month of their birthday, each child in this program receives a 20-25 pound Birthday Box full of new, age appropriate toys, books, and party supplies to make their birthday unforgettable!
 HSP volunteer Jeff Marker with the donated bread.

Because of the distance of the school from our office, the bread was brought to LPE by our amazing volunteers Jeff Marker and Pete Laabs. HSP is very grateful for their continued willingness to help in any way possible! 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Collections from Paper Drives Donated to Humanitarian Service Project


On Tuesday, UPS-Supply Chain Solutions donated a pick-up truck full of paper goods.  UPS-Supply Chain Solutions have a long history with Humanitarian Service Project.  They have given HSP many donations, along with having their employees volunteer to help out in the warehouse.
Not only did HSP receive a donation from UPS-SCS, we also received a donation from St. John Preschool in NapervilleSt. John school donated 12 large bags of paper products which included: paper towels, toilet paper and facial tissues.  These paper products will go to our seniors in the Senior Citizen Project.  The paper products help our seniors maintain a healthy hygiene.  The absence of paper products in the seniors’ lives could be detrimental to their health.  The seniors cannot afford to buy these paper products; thus the donations are greatly appreciated by the seniors. 
Once again, Humanitarian Service Project would like to thank UPS-Supply Chain Systems and St. John Preschool for hosting and donating the collected items from their paper drives. Along with donations, volunteers’ time is always appreciated at the Humanitarian Service Project.  If you are interested in volunteering or donating to Humanitarian Service Project, call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Trinity Lutheran 8th Graders Volunteer at HSP


Today, the Humanitarian Service Project was very grateful to host a total of 44 volunteers.  There were 35 student volunteers, and 9 parents and teachers from Trinity Lutheran in Roselle. Luckily, with such a big group, we had plenty of work for them to do.  The eighth graders, teacher and parent chaperones, split up into three groups. One group was sorting paper, one was sorting our non-perishable foods, one was in the freezer sorting meats, and bread.  These are all very necessary tasks for our warehouse because in order to run our Feed the Kids program and Senior Citizen Project smoothly, food must be sorted. The bread is sorted to be distributed to our seniors in the Senior Citizen Project.  The left over bread is then given to Lake Park Elementary. The group spent about two hours on their various tasks. 
            Trinity Lutheran found HSP through Jessica Becker, an 8th grade teacher. One of the mothers of a student told Becker of HSP. Becker then contacted HSP for volunteering opportunities. HSP booked the 8th graders for the volunteering and it was set. It is a yearly tradition for Trinity students to work a service project during their last year at the school.  The group worked very hard and quickly, sorting all of the food and non-perishables in just about two hours. In the end, multiple pallets full of paper products, and non-perishable foods were all ready to be shrink-wrapped and put away in their correct places in the warehouse. The freezer was re-organized and is now ready for a large meat delivery, arriving to our warehouse this Friday.
            All of the young adults were very enthusiastic about the work.  Smiles and laughter were abundant with their time volunteering in the warehouse. It is always a good thing to see young adults be so enthusiastic towards helping those who are less fortunate. If you are interested in volunteering at the Humanitarian Service Project warehouse, call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Albright Middle School Donates $900 and 15 Boxes of Food


Yesterday, the Humanitarian Service Project received a very generous donation from Albright Middle School in Villa Park.  Albright donated 15 boxes of food to be sorted and distributed in our warehouse. Albright’s Principal, Scott Jackson came from the school to Humanitarian Service Project to drop off the 15 boxes.  Not only were the boxes of food donated, the school also gathered $900.  The $900 will be put towards HSP’s purchasing of food for needy families and seniors in the Feed the Kids program and the Senior Citizen Project. This isn’t the first time in 2013 that Albright has donated to the Humanitarian Service Project.  Albright Middle School also gathered paper products for the Senior Citizen Project in March.
Scott Jackson, principal of Albright Middle School
with the 15 boxes of donated food
The timing of the food donation to HSP could not have been more perfect.  In June, we here at HSP will begin our Feed the Kids program.  Feed the Kids is a summer hunger relief program which provides groceries to 100 needy families (about 400 children) who would otherwise be malnourished during the summer months.  Feed the Kids runs during the months of June, July and August.  HSP gives many thanks to Albright Middle School and their willingness to donate towards Feed the Kids and the Senior Citizen Project.  The food and the monetary donation will go towards Feed the Kids program, and also the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project.
With so much on the horizon as Feed the Kids starts up, HSP needs volunteers to help us organize all the food we are preparing to send out. Any volunteers who can donate their time will be greatly appreciated.  If you are interested in volunteering at HSP, give us a call at 630-221-8340, or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Monday, May 6, 2013

“Stamp Out Hunger” Gathers Food For Families in Need

Volunteers in HSP's warehouse, helping to sort food
from Stamp Out Hunger, last year.

This Saturday, May 11th, is the National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) 21st annual “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive! 1,400 NALC branches from every state in America will be participating in this nationwide food drive. Food donated through the event is distributed to several different charities that are committed to ending hunger, including HSP.
            Our volunteers, along with other groups, help at the post offices by organizing the thousands of pounds of food that comes in from all over the area. We move the food into central areas where they are divided amongst several local organizations. Our food is then taken to the HSP warehouse where it is organized and distributed by our volunteers through our Senior Citizen Program and Feed The Kids Program. The food donated from “Stamp Out Hunger” is a critical part of our own initiative to combat food shortages in poor families and seniors, and we can’t thank the NALC enough for their generosity.
            This Saturday, make sure to leave a bag with non-perishable food by your mailbox, and your mail carrier will collect it when they deliver your mail. As men and women who visit neighborhoods all over our country, letter carriers far too often see the effects of poverty and hunger. “We do all of this because we know how important it is” Said NALC president Fredric Rolando. Last year, the NALC picked up more than 70 million pounds of non-perishable food, making the event one of the largest one day food drives.
            The NALC can’t collect without your generosity though. This Saturday, May 11th, make sure to leave a bag with non-perishables by your mailbox. Remember that every item counts. No donation is too small, and every item is appreciated.
Every month HSP distributes over 6 tons of groceries to 121 needy seniors. It is food drives like “Stamp out Hunger” that allows HSP to continue to provide these life changing services to those in need. If you too would like to help out, you can learn more at our website: http://humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/FoodItemNeeded.pdf

Friday, May 3, 2013

A Truck Load of Food from Medinah Baptist Church!

Dean (left) and Dave (right) dropping off the the food drive
from Medinah Baptist Church.

Yesterday, Humanitarian Service Project received a large donation of food from the Medinah Baptist Church of Medinah, Illinois. The Church recently ran food drive and donated the collected food for the needy seniors we serve. The large donation filled up the whole back of a pick-up truck and the inside of a car, and ended up filling four whole pallets in the HSP warehouse! This large donation will be distributed to needy seniors enrolled in our Senior Citizen Program. Poverty brings challenges to all of those living under it, but the effects of poverty are intensified for seniors who have to deal with health issues and a lack the income to purchase enough groceries. These seniors don’t have access to regular healthy foods and rely on donations such as these to get the nutrition they need.

The food collected by the church was dropped off by Executive Director of Ministries Dean Scott and Director of Children's Ministry Dave Pearson from Medinah Baptist. HSP is very grateful for the hard work and dedication to all the people who participated in the food drive, as well as the generosity to those who donated food. Our organization relies on the donations of others and the hard work of volunteers. We at HSP, as well as the people we serve, are truly grateful for all the food that was donated and send out a big “Thanks You” to The Medinah Baptist Church for all their hard work.

Every month HSP distributes over 6 tons of groceries to 121 needy seniors. It is food drives, like this wonderful one from The Medinah Baptist Church, that allows HSP to continue to provide these life changing services to those in need. If you too would like to help out, you can learn more at our website: http://humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/FoodItemNeeded.pdf

Thursday, May 2, 2013

HSP Says Goodbye to Our Fantastic Intern, Ulupi!



As another school semester comes to a close, we here at the Humanitarian Service Project say goodbye to another excellent intern, Ulupi Bodiwala. Ulupi is a student at University of Illinois Chicago, where she majors in English with an emphasis in creative writing. Throughout her 4 month internship, Ulupi utilized the passion she has for writing by creating written updates on the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project.
HSP wishes Ulupi (seated) success in her future endeavors!
Ulupi’s creativity was seen here in her time at HSP.  Her internship was to work with Tierney, our Senior Citizen Project Coordinator on the senior updates.  Ulupi interviewed our seniors on the phone. After that, Ulupi wrote the senior updates that give current information to our sponsors on how the seniors are doing.  All of our seniors who reported back to us said that Ulupi was very nice to talk to. Ulupi always put the care and consideration our seniors deserve into the task. Her work with the SCP updates has been greatly appreciated.
Ulupi brought cheer to the office. There wasn't a moment where she wasn't smiling. Her very positive attitude was appreciated here at HSP, and helped brighten the office with her presence.  We here at HSP appreciate Ulupi’s contributions to HSP, in both writing the updates, and providing a positive attitude for the office. We wish her the best of luck and many successes in her future.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Local Retail Stores Find HSP to be a Perfect "Target" for Volunteer Opportunities


                

JCPenney Volunteers
The past two days here have been a frenzy of volunteerism thanks to two local retail stores.  JCPenney in Chicago and Target employees volunteered to help out HSPHSP would like to recognize the hard work and energy the volunteers put into sorting and organizing the food that was purchased by HSP from the Northern Illinois Food Bank.  On April 30th, volunteers from JCPenney were here for two and a half hours; they generously sorted five huge pallets of food.  The food they sorted will be distributed to the needy children and families enrolled in our Feed the Kids program.  The program provides one hundred families with 175 lbs of nutritious food each month of summer in June, July and August. The purpose of this program is to ensure that needy children are able to receive adequate nutrition during the summer months when they are not participating in the government subsidized school lunch program.


Target's Volunteers
            The second group of volunteers was just as appreciated in contributing their time to helping HSP.  Earlier today, Humanitarian Service Project had 16 volunteers come from the Target located in Glendale Heights.  These volunteers came to help sort and organize the food that was bought from the Northern Illinois Food Bank.  There were so many volunteers that half of them organized food for the Feed the Kids Program, while the other half helped to go through and organize food from numerous recent food drives donated to our Senior Citizen Project.  This food will be delivered as a part of our monthly delivery days. On top of donating their time, the Target in Glendale Heights donated a $150 gift card.  This will be used to purchase sports equipment and other gifts for the Children’s Birthday Project.
 Thanks to both groups of volunteers, we were able to get large amounts of food sorted out to be distributed to a number of families. If you or your organization is interested in volunteering for HSP, we have a lot of opportunities coming up this summer, after May 20th, 2013. Call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org for more information.