Thanks for a Wonderful 2014

As we all look forward to ringing in 2015 at the stroke of midnight, HSP would like to take a look back and thank all of those who helped us make a difference in the lives of those in need this year. 2014 was an exciting and memorable year for HSP marked by growth in our programs, allowing us to better serve the neediest members of our community.

Our Senior Citizen Project continued to provide nutritious groceries and other life-altering services to seniors every month thanks to the heartfelt support of our volunteers and donors. We were even able to expand the program’s enrollment to 125 thanks to the generosity of all those who participated in the Matching Campaign sponsored by Allured Business Media. The Children’s Birthday Project continued to grow as 925 underprivileged children received the special recognition all children deserve on their birthdays. The summer saw the success of our Feed the Kids program and School Supply Drive. Of course, the year ended on a high note with HSP’s largest Christmas Offering ever with 2014 children receiving Christmas gifts. This is not to mention the memorable events along the way such as participating in the DuPage Human Race, Ribfest, the Last Fling, the annual Stamp out Hunger Food Drive, and more. None of what HSP accomplished in 2014 could have been done without the enduring and indispensable assistance of all of our supporters. Thank you for continuing to enable HSP to be a source of hope and relief for those who need us most. We wish you all and happy, blessed, and fruitful 2015. 

The Holiday Season Comes to a Close

Christmas has come and gone, and HSP’s annual Christmas Offering has ended on a very successful note. Though the final number has not yet been calculated, we were able to provide gifts to 125 seniors and 2,014 children this holiday season. Additionally, 150 families each received 220 pounds of groceries, and over 370 families received holiday meal boxes and other food donations with their children’s Christmas gifts.

            As always, HSP is so grateful for all of the help we have received during the busy holiday season. Our Christmas Offering would not be the success it was if not for the warm hearts of our loving supporters. We appreciate our hard working volunteers, who assisted with driving, delivering, and loading of gifts and food, and our generous donors, who provided us with our Giving Tree gifts as well toy, book, and food drives. We are so thankful for all you have done. Thank you for helping us serve so many in our community through our Christmas Offering.

HSP’s New Van

The Humanitarian Service Project would like to unveil an exciting Christmas present it received this year, our new van. This van was purchased with grant funding from the UPS Foundation, the Wakerly Family Foundation, and a donation from one of our longtime volunteers. This new van will be used to make “pick-ups” and deliveries which are critical to the success of our programs allowing us to serve impoverished seniors, children, and families. This will enable HSP to retire one of our vans, which has become very well-worn from fulfilling its duties over the years. We wish to extend a huge “thank you” to the our friends at the UPS locations in Carol Stream and Elk Grove Village, the Wakerly Family Foundation, and our steadfast supporter  for their generosity in helping us purchase this wonderful, and much needed, van.

And Now, a Christmas Poem...

Twas the night before Christmas

And all through HSP

The staff members were so grateful

And the recipients were filled with glee.

The Giving Trees were distributed by volunteers with great care

And much joy and gratitude quickly filled the air.

Nearly 2,000 children will have gifts Christmas morn

All thanks to our donors, generous and warm.

In addition, our seniors experienced harmony and delight

As all 125 of them received gifts and groceries. All right!

Our volunteer drivers took time out of their days

To deliver these goodies in their own personal sleighs.

But HSP couldn’t have managed this alone

We extend thanks to our volunteers for the generosity they have shown.

Food sorting, gift wrangling, and loading up cars

To all those who helped, you are the true stars.

And so from all of us at HSP as the holiday comes to light

“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!”

Thank You to Our Donors!

Christmas is just days away, and HSP is entering the final stages of our Christmas Offering. It has been a great success, and we would like to take this time to thank all the donors who have made contributions. Over the last few days, HSP has received many donations for the sake of the children, families, and seniors we serve. Many donors ran “food drives”—such as the carload we received Friday from the Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church. Others provided assistance with the “Giving Trees” for children and seniors—50 of which were donated by COD Cares Friday night. Additionally, we have received generous monetary and toy donations from groups such as Just Energy, Living Lord Lutheran Church, and the Marquardt School District. As always, we are so grateful for all our donors do for us. It’s always a comfort to see people so caring and generous, especially during the holiday season. On behalf of all of us here at HSP, we wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A Very Merry Christmas to our Volunteers!

With Christmas just days away, HSP is in the final stretch of our Christmas Offering. As needy families continue to call in, we will be distributing gifts to children all the way up to Christmas Eve. None of this would be possible without the help of the volunteer groups who have graciously given their time to make these final few days of the Christmas Offering a success. We were joined by volunteers from Katherine Frank Creative, Junior Achievement, Clarke, College of DuPage, South Outreach, and we also have had the support of many individual volunteers all giving their time to setup for distributions, distribute gifts, and sort toys and food. HSP wishes to thank all of your for helping us reach so many families in need!

Some Extra Help This Holiday Season

As our eventful week winds down, HSP is still busy distributing gifts to the families on our Christmas Waiting List. And while that is going on, we would like to take a moment to say thank you to some of our wonderful groups who have made generous donations. The first is Shinnyo-En Chicago who put together 24 personal care kits for the seniors in our SCP. They donated various hygiene items and assembled the kits as a service project. They even took the time to write some thoughtful notes for our seniors. Shinnyo-En has done service projects for our Christmas Offering and SCP the last 2 years years, and we are so grateful for their generous donation.

            Additionally, HSP would like to extend a huge thank you to members of the Science of Spirituality Center. This group put together a unique food drive for the sake of the families and seniors we serve. Members were given the opportunity to “shop” for the food and toy items while at the service center. Afterwards, all the food, toys, and money raised was donated to HSP! We are so appreciative to them for all their support during this holiday season.

Christmas Keeps on Coming at HSP!

HSP has been busy this past week with our gift and food distributions, and we’re not done yet! Today, volunteer drivers came by to pick up and deliver Christmas gifts to the 125 needy seniors in our program! Thanks to the generosity of our donors, all of the seniors enrolled in our Senior Citizen Project received special Christmas gifts today. HSP extends a huge thank you to our drivers, donors, and to Ginna, our dedicated “Secret Pal” coordinator, who continues to help out by organizing all of the seniors’ Christmas gifts.

But it’s not just the seniors who received packages of Christmas joy today. HSP also started distributing gifts to the needy families on our Christmas waiting list! Today, tomorrow, and next week, families on that list will be picking up gifts and even some winter clothes for their children. As always, thank you so much to all who donated gifts. Your support continues to allow us to bring Christmas joy to those who deserve it most.

Army Trail and Lake Park Elementary Students Receive Christmas Gifts

Throughout this week and next week there are hundreds of underprivileged families who will be picking up Christmas gifts and groceries at HSP’s Center. Yesterday and today, we also had the pleasure of spreading holiday cheer by distributing Christmas gifts to children at Army Trail and Lake Park Elementary schools in Addison. In total, 235 children at these schools received at least 3 Christmas gifts. We wish to thank the friends of HSP who volunteered their time to help us distribute these gifts, and everyone who donated to make this distribution possible!

Christmas Offering Continues

Our Christmas Offering continued today with a second round of gift distributions. Another 150 needy families were provided with Christmas gifts for their children—at least 3 gifts for each child between the ages of 2 and 15! More than 50 people volunteered their time and resources to come help us out here at HSP by distributing and loading groceries and gifts. We truly appreciate all the support of our donors, volunteers, and the community in serving so many in need. HSP’s Offering will continue throughout Christmas Eve.

HSP’s Christmas Offering Begins!

On Saturday, HSP’s Christmas Offering started off with a bang as we distributed Christmas Gifts and more than 16 tons of groceries to 150 needy families. Each family received 2 boxes of fresh produce, 4 boxes of non-perishables, 7 selections of frozen meat, at least 4 loaves of bread, and a turkey. Every child in these families between the ages of 2 to 15 also received a minimum of 3 Christmas gifts! More than 90 volunteers donated their time on Saturday to help us distribute all of these groceries and gifts. We wish to thank all these volunteers, and the countless other individuals who have generously given either their time or resources to help make our Christmas Offering successful. We will be distributing Christmas gifts to more than 1000 other children through next week!

Christmas Offering Begins Tomorrow

The exciting and busy week here at HSP continues with our final preparations today for the start of our Christmas Offering! Tomorrow, HSP will once again be serving 150 families with Christmas gifts and 250 pounds of groceries apiece! Throughout the day, these families will be stopping by HSP to pick up these much needed groceries and wonderful gifts!

            In order to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow, several volunteer groups have come to HSP today to help us out. Volunteers from UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Kindercare, and Staples Advantage came to lend a hand sorting fresh produce, bread, gifts, and assisted with any other prep work needed. We are so thankful for all our volunteers for helping us ensure that these families have the food and gifts they need to help them celebrate this holiday season.

Toys under the Christmas Tree

As we at HSP are busy preparing to provide Christmas gifts to over 1600 impoverished children, we want to take a moment to thank all of those who generously donated gifts to make the program a success. At HSP we ensure that each child has at least 3 gifts to celebrate Christmas. This would not be possible without the hundreds of “giving tree” gifts that have come in from our wonderful supporters. In addition to these gifts, we also received very generous “toy drives” from Accurate Personnel, the Naperville Noon Lions Club, American Institutes for Research, and a number of other amazing supporters. Thanks so much for helping us spread Christmas joy to these deserving children and their families!

If you too would like to help HSP serve needy children this Christmas, there is still time to make toy donations. Our greatest need is for toys for children between the ages of 8-11. Call HSP at 630-221-8340 with any questions.

HSP Thanks Ours Volunteers

Volunteers from Clarke and Westin

As the first distribution day of our Christmas Offering is just a few short days away, we’d like to recognize the volunteer groups who have given their time this week to help us prepare during this very busy and important week. Volunteers sorted hundreds of children’s gifts and finalized the bags of presents for over 375 families. They also sorted food and toy donations.

Volunteers from BMW of North America

On Monday, we had help from the Wheaton Warrenville South High School Bilingual Club and Westin Hotels. Yesterday, we were assisted by volunteers from Clarke, Philadelphia Insurance, and a second group from Westin Hotels. And today, we welcome volunteers from the BMW of North America, LaForce Inc, and the Hinsdale South High School’s BPA Club. As always, we are so grateful for our volunteers, especially during the holiday season. Their continued generosity and support is very much appreciated in this busy time.

Glenbard South High School Food Drive

This past Saturday, Glenbard South High School’s National Honor Society ran their annual Holiday Food Drive for the sake of the needy seniors and families we serve at HSP. The NHS students canvassed their neighborhoods with flyers, asking their neighbors to support the drive by donating non-perishable food items. The students then spent all Saturday morning collecting donated food, which they then dropped off at HSP. Their neighbors were very supportive and generous to the NHS students as they were able to fill 7 minivans and SUVS with all of the donations. We want to thank Glenbard South and their thoughtful and the community for their generous donations.

HSP’s Red Letter Saturday

This past Saturday, December 6^th was certainly an eventful day at HSP. In the morning we had our monthly Delivery Day for our Senior Citizen Project. Thanks to all of the volunteer drivers who delivered to the seniors, and volunteer loaders who helped pack up the drivers’ vehicles; we distributed over 6 tons of nutritious groceries to the 125 impoverished seniors enrolled in the program. We wish to thank everyone who assisted us in serving these very deserving seniors.

Once all the groceries were out of our warehouse and in the hands of seniors, HSP shifted our focus to preparing for our Christmas Offering. In the afternoon we hosted more than 40 volunteers for our annual Christmas Boxing Party. At this event we sorted the Christmas gifts for all of the children we will be serving this Saturday at our Christmas Offering gift and grocery distribution. Volunteers also prepared bags of gifts for needy children we will be serving at Lake Park Elementary School in Addison. We had a blast at this event, and we thank everyone who gave their time on Saturday to help up take this critical step forward towards serving 1600+ children with gifts this Christmas! 

Farewell to Three Fantastic Interns

 With the Christmas season underway, it’s been all hands on deck here at HSP! In the midst of collecting donations and sorting Giving Trees, we would like to take a few moments to thank and acknowledge three of our hard-working interns who have done so much to help us out for the holidays.

            First, we’d like to recognize our two Marketing Interns: Frank Miller, whose last day was two weeks ago, and Mackenzie Mentink, who finished this past Wednesday. They were mainly responsible for contacting donors to ask for their help again with Food Drives, Toy Drives, and Giving Trees for our Christmas Offering. Their work has ensured that HSP continues to receive the generous help and support from our fantastic donors.

            The third intern we wish to salute is Brittany Galiardo, will finish with us today. Brittany joined us as a general intern, helping out in any way she could. Her main task involved working with families involved in the Children’s Birthday Project. Brittany also supported the SCP ensuring the seniors received their much needed groceries. All of Brittany’s efforts allowed HSP to continue to make birthdays special for the children enrolled in the program.

            We are so grateful for everything Frank, Mackenzie, and Brittany have done here at HSP. All three will be finishing up their last semester of college during these next few months—Frank at North Central and Brittany and Mackenzie at Elmhurst. We are sad to see them go, but we thank them for their help and wish them all the best in the future.

Volunteer Update

Volunteers from US Cellular

Scouts from St. Isidore's Parish

HSP has been bustling with volunteers this week!  With our Christmas Offering and Senior Delivery Day quickly approaching, we greatly appreciate the help of our volunteers who are here to support sorting food, gifts, and preparing for our upcoming Senior Delivery Day. We have had roughly 26 individuals volunteer with us this week so far, along with clubs, Scout Troops, companies and high school groups. La Force Inc., the Kiwanis Club of Oak Brook, Downer Grove North High School, EMC, and US Cellular are just a few of the groups. This is an exciting time for us at HSP and it would not be possible without your help! Thank you!

Giving Trees

National Van Lines driver, Chuck Weidenbach, with
HSP co-founder, Floyd Kettering, delivering
the trailer on Monday.

The arrival of December brought with it cold, Christmas decorations, and the start of Giving Tree Season! Donations have already begun to pour in here at HSP. These donations and gifts are used to help service over 1600 children in our Christmas Offering. Every child deserves to wake up to a present under the tree on Christmas morning, and it is through the continued generosity of our donors that this will become a reality for these families.

            With the Christmas Offering just a week and a half away, HSP has a lot of work to do getting all of the giving trees ready for the big day. National Van Lines has allowed us to use one of their trailers as extra space for all of our Giving Trees. We are so thankful for their generosity as it helps us ensure that we have plenty of space for all of our gifts and donations. Thanks to all of our donors and volunteers, we’ll be able to help out a lot of families this holiday season.

New Staff Member

HSP is proud to welcome Allyson Armstrong as the newest member of our staff! Allyson has been part of the HSP team for several months working as an intern and we are thrilled to have her joining us full-time as our Senior Citizen Project Coordinator. Our current coordinator, Michelle, will be leaving in January to explore new adventures in Peru with her husband. We are sad to see Michelle go, but happy to have her take Allyson under her wing and help her learn all she needs to know about her new position. As SCP Coordinator, Allyson’s job will focus around all aspects of the Senior Citizen Project. This includes organizing monthly deliveries, working with volunteer groups, and any other ways that we help service the 125 seniors in the program. We are very excited to welcome her to the staff.

All Hands on Deck for Christmas

As Christmas is quickly approaching HSP is busy preparing for our Christmas Offering. We have had many organizations and schools drop off food and toys they have collected over the past couple weeks. HSP also has had many volunteers generously give their time to help sort food and gifts. We continue this holiday season to serve needy families and seniors in the community with groceries and gifts. This very busy and exciting comes along right after giving Tuesday which is tomorrow December 2^nd.  Giving Tuesday is a global day dedicated to giving back. It is important to remember to give back to organizations that are close to your heart. HSP wants to thank you for your continued support in making the Christmas Offering a success!

“Good Night, Sleep Tight”

No good night’s sleep is complete without a pair of comfy pajamas, a warm blanket, a snuggly stuffed animal, and of course, a bedtime story. Thanks to a generous donation received yesterday, HSP will be able to provide all of these items to over 50 children! On Tuesday afternoon, 51 packages of pjs, books, blankets, and stuffed animals were donated to HSP by a local service project known as “Good Night, Sleep Tight.” This project was started last year by high school students Piper Winkler and Ana Powell. This year, due to Piper moving out of state, Ana was in charge of the donation process along with her friend Connie Linardos. Ann and Connie sought and received assistance from their friends and family in order to collect all the items for the packages. HSP will provide these donations to needy children through the Christmas Offering. It’s always so great to see young people giving back to the community. We are grateful for Ana and Connie’s hard work and generosity.

ChiTAG Toy Donation

          This past Sunday, HSP’s Executive Director, Kristin Maxwell, along with Sandy Bergeson and Nancy Dorsman, two wonderful HSP volunteers, went to Navy Pier in Chicago to pick up a generous donation of toys and games from the Chicago Toy & Game Fair (ChiTAG,) hosted by the Toy Industry Foundation. 

Toys and Games donated to HSP through ChiTAG vendors.

Various companies and individuals who were present at ChiTAG donated toys and games that did not sell at the event to three charities within the Chicago-land area; this year, along with HSP, the Toy Industry Foundation also donated to Kidz Korna and Big Brothers Big Sisters Chicago.  Because of the generous donation from the vendors at ChiTAG, HSP received around 200 new toys and games, which will be used for the Christmas Offering and the Children’s Birthday Project.  HSP would like to thank the Toy Industry Foundation, ChiTAG, and all of the various companies and individuals at the fair for all of their support and generosity; these toys and games will certainly make children’s birthdays and Christmases much brighter.

With Christmas quickly approaching, HSP is looking for donations of toys to give to the children we serve.  If you are interested in learning more about how you can donate toys and games, please feel free to call or email us!     

Wonderful Christmas Food Drives

Representatives from John L. Sipley school
dropping off a generous food drive.

Our Christmas Offering is quickly approaching, we have had many schools and other organizations drop of the food they have collected over the past few weeks. Thank you to the following schools and organizations for hosting food drives: Willowbrook High School, John L. Sipley School, Chesterbrook Academy Rollingridge, Four Winds Waldorf and Anne M. Jeans School. All of their food drives were a huge success. HSP will be able to serve many families and seniors with the food that was collected from these drives. 

Local Schools Give Back

Our Christmas Offering is quickly approaching, so to help us out we have had many volunteer groups from local schools come in this week. Some of the tasks that they helped with were sorting non- perishables, meat and paper products for families and seniors in need. These groups also helped with sorting toys for needy kids who will receive Christmas presents this holiday season. On Wednesday, we welcomed a group from District 204 Steps program who were very eager to help. Yesterday, we had three groups throughout the day and evening—Glendbard North’s AIM Program, the Rotolo Middle School Builders Club and the whole freshmen group from the Carol Stream Panther Chapter of the Young Men’s Service League (YMSL) along with their mothers. Last but not least, our monthly group from Ms. Heggen’s class at Glenbard South High School will be joining us today.

While we very much need the help of volunteers to keep HSP running smoothly, these students are also gaining different skills and learning the importance of giving back while working with us. Students have the opportunity to learn how to be a leader and gain teamwork skills from volunteering too. Thank you for choosing to spend your time volunteering with us and for all of your hard work!     

HSP Salutes our Friends at Fed Ex

On Saturday, November 15, HSP received a very generous donation from the FedEx Cares Delivery Hope campaign, an organization in which team members participate in volunteer events to benefit local communities and the United Way. On Saturday, FedEx team members delivered over 500 bags of paper products for HSP’s Senior Citizen Project. 125 seniors were provided with a 2-3 month supply of toilet paper, paper towels,  and facial tissue. This event occurred on the same day as HSP’s Senior Delivery Day in which over 70 volunteer drivers and loaders were present to distribute and deliver 100 pounds of groceries directly to the homes of those 125 seniors. The paper drive was coordinated through the Fleet Maintenance Shop in Chicago Heights, and FedEx team members from more than 10 locations helped contribute to the effort. The addition of these paper products to the monthly grocery deliveries helps the seniors maintain a healthy lifestyle. We would like to thank FedEx for their amazing support.

DuPage Woodworkers Club

Yesterday, the DuPage Woodworkers Club donated 500 handmade toys for HSP’s Christmas Offering. The members of the club make toys throughout the year to provide for impoverished children at Christmas time. HSP is grateful to be one of the recipient organizations of these wonderful toys year after year. Through our annual Christmas Offering, HSP serves 350 families with nutritious groceries and provides Christmas gifts to over 1,600 children. Donors like the DuPage Woodworkers Club make a big difference in the community through their service. If you too would like to be involved in any of our programs at HSP during our Christmas season, please give us a call at 630-221-8340.

Rick Ogren of the Woodworkers Club with HSP's
Executive Director Kristin Maxwell.

HSP Welcomes a New Intern

This week, we welcome a new intern, Stephanie Harding! Stephanie graduated this past Spring from Northern Illinois University with a major in English. She would like to work with the community and hopes to give back, which is why working at HSP interested her. One of the things she hopes to gain from her time here is experience with business writing. This is not her first experience with service though. While in high school, she did a lot of work with a youth group and with NHS. Her time at HSP will be spent helping with the Christmas Offering and interviewing our seniors for their annual “senior updates”. Stephanie loves to write and hopes to pursue a career where she gets to do so. Her other interests include a love of music and reading. She especially likes J.K. Rowling. Other fun fact about Stephanie is she recently wrote her first novel! We are excited to have Stephanie here with us and from all of us at HSP, welcome!

Glenbard South Life Skills Class Volunteer Group

Today, HSP hosted a volunteer group which consisted of 10 students and 4 chaperons from Glenbard South High School’s life skills class. The group spent an hour and a half creating bags of toilet paper, paper towels and facial tissue for the senior citizens HSP serves. We have had groups from Glenbard South before, but this is the first time the life skills class had volunteered here, and we are very happy and appreciative to have them here. Each of the 125 seniors enrolled in our program, receive fresh fruits, vegetables, loaves of bread and groceries each month and receive a care kit once every 3 months. If you too would like to be involved in our SCP, please give us a call at 630-221-8340.

Thank You Saturday Volunteers!

It was an exciting day at HSP on Saturday. First we had our monthly Senior Citizen Project delivery day. We’re thankful for all of the volunteer loaders and drivers who braved the weather to help us distribute over six tons of groceries to 125 needy seniors. With their help our seniors were able to receive the nutrition they need. HSP will be forever thankful for our loaders and drivers who help make the Senior Citizen Project successful!

Later in the day we hosted a group of eleven volunteers from Elmhurst College who sorted and boxed up non-perishable food for the needy families in our Christmas Offering. The volunteers made food boxes for 150 families! Thank you so much to the volunteers who shared their Saturday with us to help us serve needy families in the community. 

Delivery Day Preparations

This week was very busy for HSP! With preparing for the holidays and our November senior delivery day tomorrow, there has been a lot to accomplish. To finish preparing for the 125 seniors we serve, our friends from UPS came to volunteer. The UPS volunteers graciously gave up time out of their morning to sort produce in the warehouse for SCP. We greatly appreciate the continued support from UPS. Without their help and other dedicated volunteers, serving our seniors would not be possible.    

Generous Party Supply Donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Yesterday, HSP received an amazing donation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints of Naperville that consisted of 90 party-in-a-box kits (PIABs). This was in addition to the generous donation of 107 PIABs back in September. The supplies for these kits were donated by the members of the church and assembled by 8-11 year old youths at Latter Day Saints. We thank them for helping us make a big difference in the lives of the needy children we serve. 

Holiday Update

The holiday season is in full swing here at HSP! We have been busy preparing for our Christmas Offering and have already received donations for the holidays. It is not too late to get involved. One way to do this is by hosting a toy or food drive for our Christmas Offering. Another way to serve the clientele at HSP is by taking a child’s name for the gift giving trees. Every day, we are getting calls from local families in need who are asking to be on our waiting list for Christmas so any donation, no matter the size, is greatly appreciated. To learn more about how you can make a difference this holiday season, please visit www.humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/christmasoffering.html.     

Young Men’s Service League & American Family Insurance Volunteer Groups

Over the past two days, HSP has had the pleasure of hosting two volunteer groups that graciously gave their time to support our programs. Yesterday, the Panther Chapter of the Young Men’s Service League (YMSL) lent their support and today, we were joined by volunteers from American Family Insurance. YMSL is a mother/son service group in which mothers and their teenage sons bond over volunteering and service projects. Yesterday, the group had 6 volunteers that devoted their time to sort non-perishable food items.

American Family Insurance encourages their associates to devote their time and energy by helping and donating to charities. The group of 9 volunteers came and created 75 boxes of non perishables weighing a total of 1,875 lbs. With American Family Insurance and our other supporters, HSP will distribute these boxes of food to help needy families during the Christmas season. We would like to thank them for helping us out and we appreciate what they do in supporting charities throughout the world.

Through our annual Christmas Offering, HSP serves 350 families with nutritious groceries and provides Christmas gifts to over 1,600 children. Volunteer groups like YMSL and American Family Insurance make a big difference in the community through their service. If you too would like to be involved in any of our programs at HSP during our Christmas Offering season, please give us a call at 630-221-8340.

Happy Birthday Michelle!

As we're busy scurrying to prepare for our Senior Delivery Day, we took time to recognize our Senior Citizen Coordinator on her special day. HSP joined Michelle as she celebrates her 27^th Birthday. Michelle works hard to make sure the Senior Citizen Project is a success and that every senior in our program receives what they need. Happy Birthday Michelle!

Thank You Glen Crest Middle School

On Friday November 7^th HSP had a volunteer group come in from Glen Crest Middle School. There were 14 students along with their leader Craig Hoffman who sorted and took inventory of bread for Senior Delivery Day. Glen Crest Middle School is from Glen Ellyn and has become a popular name around HSP because of their wonderful visits every fall. With the holiday season quickly approaching HSP is very busy making sure all of our families will have food and gifts for Christmas. Thank you Glen Crest Middle School with the help from you 123 needy seniors will receive the nutrition they need on Saturday.

Last call for Entertainment books!

There is less than a month to pick up an Entertainment Book for 2015. These books are full of thousands of dollars worth of savings through coupons. The sale of Entertainment books is run by HSP supporter, Sheri Kohout. This sale started back in August and is an effort to raise funds for our Senior Citizen Project. SCP provides 125 seniors with 100 pounds of nutritious groceries monthly. The Entertainment books are filled with hundreds of offers for local restaurants, stores and attractions. Sales of these books conclude on December 3^rd in the northern and western suburbs. Books are $25 and even come with the option to download a mobile app which gives access to even more deals nationwide! We appreciate your support and hope to see you soon!     

Fall Shopping Jamboree Tonight!

          The Carol Stream Woman’s Club is hosting its annual Fall Shopping Vendor Fair from 6 to 9 PM tonight.  This fair will include over 20 vendors from home businesses and crafters, so it’s the perfect opportunity to check off some of your holiday shopping early.  Along with all of the wonderful vendors who will be present, the fair will also include a DJ, fun raffles, and many refreshments.  This yearly event is one of the Carol Stream Woman’s Club’s main fundraisers, and the funds collected will be used to support many local nonprofit organizations like HSP.

          If you are interested in attending the Fall Shopping Vendor Fair, it will be taking place tonight at Joe Cotton Ford, located at 175 W. North Avenue, Carol Stream, IL.  Parking is free, and it is sure to be a good time!