Wheaton North Vocational Program Volunteers

Today at Humanitarian Service Project (HSP), we had nine students and four teachers come to HSP to help sort non-perishable items for our Feed the Kids (FTK) program. During their time at HSP, the group was able to organize multiple boxes of food that will be distributed to the families we serve. This group was able to stay for an hour and a half to make sure all these boxes were full and ready to go. The teachers that came in today have come numerous times to HSP with different group of kids to provide vocational training to every student that comes through Wheaton North’s Vocational Program. During their time helping HSP, the training these kids receive will help them for the future.

            The Wheaton North Vocational Program leader, Julie Langlas, has been partnering with HSP for 20 years and has worked at every location that Humanitarian Service Project has ever had, starting from Karole and Floyds backyard to our current location in Carol Stream.  Julie has been working with Wheaton North Vocational children to help these kids obtain life skills to obtain jobs when their done with school.

            HSP wishes to thank this wonderful group for helping us make a huge different in the lives of needy children and families.

Food Drive Competition at Butler Junior High

            Monday afternoon proved to be an exciting one here at HSP! Susan Wright, the student council adviser at Butler Junior High, drove her minivan over to our facility to drop off an enormous food donation. The food that was jam-packed into her van was generously donated by Butler’s students and their families.

            Over the past few weeks, Butler’s student council spearheaded a food drive. To make it more interesting, each grade level collected a different type of food item that we were currently lacking at HSP (like peanut butter and jelly, cereal, and canned vegetables) to compete against one another to see who could procure the most food of that specific type. This food drive was incredibly successful, and we applaud these young students for displaying such incredible philanthropic initiative.

            What’s even more exciting is that this food drive was one last push before the Feinstein Challenge wraps up this coming Wednesday. The more monetary and food donations HSP receives, the larger percentage of the million dollars (that is to be split by the nonprofit organizations participating) we will receive.

We extend our sincerest gratitude to the Butler Junior High student council for helping us feed the hungry in our community. We’d also like to thank the faculty, the students, and their families for participating in this wonderful event. Keep up the good work, everyone!

The Results Are In

HSP participated again in the Human Race last Saturday. The 5k Run/Walk event was an effort to raise money to support local charities around DuPage County. The race had a huge turnout including 15 runners and walkers that represented HSP. We would like to thank everyone who supported our team and Giving DuPage for organizing the wonderful event. It was a beautiful day to be outside and active while supporting a good cause that benefits needy members of our communities. One of our volunteer runners, Melissa Schmitz, earned a medal by finishing in third place for her age bracket. Great job Melissa!

HSP raised enough money to fully sponsor a senior citizen in the Senior Citizen Project and 7 children in the Children’s Birthday Project thanks to all those who supported our team. Giving DuPage put on a successful event that joined donors and volunteers to benefit 58 local charities, and HSP was grateful to participate in this fun event! 

The Power in Paws

Yesterday HSP hosted our friends of Wiesbrook Elementary Power Paws. Members of Power Paws volunteered to help us sort food that feeds members of HSP’s Senior Citizen Project and Feed the Kids. The Power Paws volunteers consisted of six kids and two adult chaperones whose spirited energy added to the positive environment at the HSP warehouse. Members from Power Paws volunteered with us back in November, and we were delighted to receive their help once again. Power Paws was designed to offer students the opportunity to engage with non-profit organizations in DuPage in order to recognize the needs of their community, and offer their time and help to support that cause. The program is powered by the students, and HSP is glad to receive their generous help!

The group demonstrated their powerful paw abilities by sorting food for over an hour, helping HSP prepare its services that benefit hungry seniors and children served by our programs. This energetic group not only came ready to work, but brought food donations for the Feinstein Challenge that HSP is participating in. The Feinstein Challenge finishes at the end of the month, and the deadline is approaching quickly.  This challenge is a $1 million giveaway that is divided among participating organizations such as HSP as an endeavor to fight hunger. Organizations will split the money based on the monetary value of the donations they have received from March 1^st through April 30^th. If Power Paws has inspired you to help, please visit this link for more guidance http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/index.html.

The volunteers from Power Paws did an amazing job yesterday, and we would like to thank them for their time and effort sorting food as well as their generous food donation. They will always be welcome friends at HSP! 

More Birthday Boxes to Students in Need!

Through HSP's Children's Birthday Project, children that come from poor families receive all the trappings of a special birthday, which they would otherwise not receive due to their family's financial situation. With the help of generous monthly sponsors and one-time donations, a child will receive a box with new toys and books, as well as school supplies, during his or her birthday month. Additionally, they will be able to throw an awesome birthday party with a "Party in a Bag" kit, which includes cake mix, frosting, and party paper goods. As you may know, HSP has partnered with local elementary schools with many needy students to serve even more children. This week, HSP delivered birthday boxes to stduents with May birthdays at three partner schools: Lake Park Elementary and Army Trail Elementary, both in Addison, an dValley View Head Start in St. Charles. Students with summer birthdays at Valley View also received their boxes.

At the elementary schools, approximately 80% of the students live below the poverty line, as well as 100% of Valley View students. HSP has adopted the needy students at these schools into our program, in order to serve families who otherwise would not be a part of our project! HSP's Executive Director, Kristin Maxwell, delivered 16 boxes to Valley View yesterday, and valued volunteer Dean Senne delivered 12 boxes to Lake Park and 7 to Army Trail today. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and donors, we were able to have the summer boxes ready very early this year; in addition to the Valley View summer boxes, the elementary schools' summer boxes are also ready and will be delivered shortly. In addition to our sponsors and donors, we would also like to thank the volunteers who have spent time wrapping gifts and those who deliver gifts to our partner schools. With your help, we can alleviate the pain of poverty for the needy children of DuPage and Kane counties. 

If you want to be involved in the Children's Birthday Project, please email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org or give us a call at 630-221-8340. 

Food Drives from Two Fantastic Friends

Today HSP received a wonderful donation of peanut butter and jelly from our friends at the Joint Commission in Oakbrook Terrace. They collected 14 boxes full of pb&j for our Feed the Kids program and Senior Citizen Project. Through these programs HSP provides nutritious groceries to needy families and seniors in DuPage and parts of Kane counties. One of our thoughtful volunteers, Jeff Marker, graciously picked up the collection of pb&j from the Joint Commission office. The Joint Commission has been assisting HSP for eight years not only through food donations, but also volunteering their time as well.

            HSP also received another generous food drive of non-perishables this past Monday from Chesterbrook Academy at the Rolling Ridge location in Naperville. Chesterbrook hosted a charitable concert as a fundraiser for HSP last summer, and many locations have continued to support the needy families, children, and seniors we serve with donations like this one.

A big thank you to both the Joint Commission and Chesterbrook for answering the call to collect food at this busy time of year as we prepare for our summertime Feed the Kids program. 

Stamp Out Hunger

             It’s about that time again – we at  HSP are getting ready for the 22^nd Annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive! In about two and a half weeks, mail carriers will be collecting non-perishable food items from the houses they deliver mail to every day. Lead by the National Association of Letter Carriers and sponsored by a plethora of companies like Campbells and Feeding America, these associations hope to collect as much food as possible to help feed the hungry in the United States. Last year was a huge success, having collecting more than 74 million pounds of non-perishable food in one day. However, records can be broken, and they strive to collect more food than ever before; but they can’t do it without your help!

             On Saturday, May 10^th, leave a box or bag of nonperishable food items by your mailbox and your mail carrier will come and pick it up. Some good items to include in your packages might be canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, peanut butter, jelly, tomato sauce, pasta, rice, soup, and tuna. To add an even greater incentive to this already amazing cause, any food collected in the DuPage county will given to non-profit organizations, including HSP!

            As you can imagine, this is a huge event, and we’re going to need of some volunteers to help make it possible. HSP has need of volunteers here at our center to help receive the food that we will be getting that day. If you’d like more information about this event and it’s volunteer opportunities, please give us a call at (630)221-8340.

A Call for Last Minute Donations

The Feinstein challenge has only weeks to go. This challenge is a $1 million giveaway that is split by participating organizations such as HSP in effort to fight hunger. Alan Shawn Feinstein, the founder of the Feinstein Foundation, is a nationally known humanitarian and philanthropist who’s focused his efforts in ending hunger around the world. The Feinstein challenge has raised billions of dollars over the last seventeen years. The money for this challenge will be divided among the organizations based on the monetary value of the donations they have received from March 1^st through April 30^th.

HSP has been working with our friends throughout DuPage and Kane counties to raise as many donations as possible. Many local institutions and good Samaritans have run food drives for this cause, but there are still items that HSP is in need of such as cereal, canned fruit, oatmeal, rice meals, PB & J, and pancake mix. The food collected will help feed needy seniors apart of our Senior Citizen Project that delivers 100 lbs. of fresh nutritious food to them monthly. HSP also provides families with children with 175 lbs. of food that are in the Feed the Kids project in June, July, and August. This initiative is meant to ease the lack of nutrition low-income families face in the summer when their children no longer receive the subsidized food from their schools.

If you are interested in contributing to our fight against hunger please e-mail us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org or call us at (630) 221-8340. Remember, if you want to participate in the Feinstein challenge, there are only ten days left! 

South Outreach Helps Feed the Kids

Today five volunteers from Wheaton Warrenville South High School generously donated their time to sort food in the HSP warehouse.  These volunteers are members of the school’s club, South Outreach. Members of South Outreach have become regular volunteers at HSP during the days they have off from school. The club’s mission is to increase awareness and education about poverty and violence by challenging teens to think, and serve outside their usual surroundings. Today this group accomplished this undertaking by helping HSP serve needy kids in our Feed the Kids Project (FTK).

      

      This will be HSP’s 11^th year serving local families in FTK. Families of low income that are enrolled in a school subsidized lunch program struggle to feed their children during the summer months when school is out and the program is in a hiatus. To ensure that these children receive proper nutrition, HSP provides needy families in FTK with groceries during the summer food lull. In June, July, and August families receive 175 lbs of non-perishable, fresh produce and frozen meat which include a selection of 15 various fresh fruits and vegetables, 3 boxes of non-perishables weighing 25 pounds each, 7 kinds of frozen meats, and Pepperidge Farm bread each month.

            HSP is grateful for volunteers like Outreach South, who help impact the families that HSP serves, by offering their time to help sort food used to supply the nutritional needs of families in DuPage and Kane counties part of FTK. They kindly choose to offer their time off to do good for their communities, and we thank them for their services! 

Students Learning to Give Back to the Community

The schools of DuPage County have gone above and beyond educating the young people in our community, not only teaching them the valuable skills needed to succeed in college and work, but also the precious knowledge of giving. Over the past two days, we received two very generous donations from two local schools: St. Isidore’s and Lake Park West High School.

            Yesterday, the 7th and 8th graders of St. Isidore’s donated 14 Party in a Bag kits for the Children’s Birthday Project. The kits were big and beautiful, and clearly made with a lot of care. We have always been extremely grateful to St. Isidore’s school and their church for being longtime supporters of HSP and thank them again for their contribution.

In addition to the kits, today we received 408 rolls of toilet paper from the National Honors Society of Lake Park West High School. This is a huge deal for us at HSP, as paper products are the number one good requested by our seniors a part of the Senior Citizen Project. This marks the fourth year that Lake Park West has sponsored a paper drive for HSP, and we couldn’t be more appreciative.

            Thank you again to the students and staff of both schools who truly helped make a difference in the lives of the needy families and seniors of DuPage. All of us at HSP give you an A+ for being so awesome. 

T.J. Maxx Visits Humanitarian Service Project

Today at Humanitarian Service Project (HSP), we had the pleasure of hosting 14 store managers from TJ Maxx along with their District Manager. Our local TJ Maxx has been volunteering with HSP since February by giving their time to wrap presents for needy kids served by our Children’s Birthday Project, and members of the other stores in the region wanted to get involved as well. The managers spent their time at HSP not only wrapping gifts, but learning more about HSP and our programs. HSP’s Executive Director, Kristin Maxwell, gave these visitors a tour of our facilities, and will be working with them to coordinate their support for other HSP programs including our Feed the Kids program and Christmas Offering.

Besides just giving their time (many of the managers traveled from hours away for the event) the volunteers also brought toys generously donated by the TJ Maxx associates from their stores. We at HSP were very happy to have this group from TJ Maxx with us today, helping us reach out to needy children in our communities. We want to thank them for their support, and look forward to seeing them again soon!

The Human Race: Less than 2 Weeks Away!

In less than two weeks, the DuPage Human Race will be hosted by Giving DuPage to raise money in support of local charities around the DuPage county. HSP is grateful to everyone who signed up to represent us in the 5K Run/2K Walk event and to every person sponsoring a participant of the event, which will take place on April 26 in Downers Grove.

            You can show your support for our runners and walkers by sponsoring racers via http://www.active.com/donate/dupagehumanrace2014/humanitarianservice. Donations will go directly to helping HSP serve impoverished seniors and children through our various projects. The more support our team receives, the more funds from the event HSP receives for our needy clients so please consider donating to support HSP!

Participating in or sponsoring the Human Race is only one of many ways in which you can support the work of Humanitarian Service Project. If you would like to learn more about other opportunities to get involved, please give us a call at 630-221-8840, email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org, or visit our website, www.humanitarianservice.org. 

Spring into Action with HSP!

Volunteers on Delivery Day.

This past Saturday, HSP participated in three amazing events to help benefit the communities of the DuPage and Kane counties. Every month, HSP spearheads a Delivery Day to ensure each of the 123 seniors in our Senior Citizen Project receives 100 pounds of fresh groceries, and Saturday was the big day! With the help of our fabulously efficient volunteers, Delivery Day went by smoothly.

Volunteers at NJWC's Hoppy Easter event.

Our friends from the Naperville Junior Woman’s Club debuted their Hoppy Easter event on Saturday as well. We extend our congratulations on their great success in turning out tons of families to participate in all the fun and helping to support HSP and Safety Town. Kristin Maxwell, Bridget Dooley, and Nancy Dorsman represented HSP, and reported having nothing but a good time. The three received the food and monetary donations for HSP from the families that attended this awesome event. We extend our sincerest thanks and appreciation to the NJWC, and wish them all the success in hosting this event again next year!

Food donated at the Carol Stream Community Food Drive.

The third big event held on Saturday was the Carol Stream Community Food Drive hosted by the Rotary Club of Carol Stream. Like the NJWC event, this function was also incredibly successful. HSP was one of three local organizations who received the food collected in this event, and we were floored by the amount of food that the residents of Carol Stream generously contributed. We packed our two cargo vans full of food, in addition to volunteer Dean Senne’s SUV. We are so thankful to receive such outstanding support from the Rotary Club, Carol Stream community, and Glenbard North volunteers. 

An Eventful Day at HSP

            Today volunteers from Clarke Environmental and UPS helped prepare for tomorrow’s Delivery Day. Clarke is a global environmental products and service company whose mission is to make communities more comfortable and safe. Six volunteers from Clarke offered their assistance, and helped sort bread and produce for tomorrow’s delivery. Clarke regularly lends a hand at Christmas time, so we were happy to have them here.

They were joined by our friends at UPS Supply Chain Solutions in Carol Stream. These volunteers regularly help us the day before delivery that serves 123 seniors in the Senior Citizen Project. These seniors will be receiving a 100 lb. package of fresh produce, groceries, and paper products to sustain them for the next month.   

Delivery Day preparation was not the only activity at HSP today; the staff celebrated one of their own, Bridget Dooley! Today is Bridget’s birthday, and the staff enjoyed a little party in honor of her special day. Bridget is the administrative assistant who has many responsibilities but still makes time to greet every visitor with a smile. She does so much to touch the lives of others, and HSP would like to wish her a very happy birthday, and know that her work is greatly appreciated! 

Exciting Things Are "Hoppening" This Week at HSP!

If you are looking for something pleasant to do this weekend, search no further! HSP has a few exciting events this weekend that will not only be a lot of fun but also will support our programs. In addition to the Senior Citizen Project Delivery Day on Saturday, when our seniors will receive their monthly grocery delivery, both the Carol Stream Community Food Drive and the Naperville Junior Woman’s Club Hoppy Easter event are also going on.

The Carol Stream Community Food Drive, which is run by the Rotary Club of Carol Stream, benefits HSP and other local pantries. On Saturday, the Rotary Club will be at Glenbard North High School from 11AM-4PM collecting non-perishable food and personal care items. You can find a full list of items they are accepting on their website: If you’re at the grocery store in the next few days, consider picking up a few extra items to donate at Glenbard North. We appreciate your support!

Also on Saturday, the Naperville Junior Woman’s Club hosts the

inaugural Hoppy Easter Festival at Safety Town (1320 Aurora Ave) in Naperville from 10 AM to 12 PM. Tickets are $7 per family, and each family is encouraged to also bring a non-perishable food item. If you donate an item, you will be entered into a raffle for a prize. All of the food donations will be given to HSP! In addition to benefiting some great causes, the event promises to be a lot of fun (and you might even get to meet the Easter Bunny!) You can visit napervillejuniors.org for more information.
            Please consider attending one or both of these wonderful events! We appreciate all of the support we receive from the community.

Calvary Church Comes to HSP to Volunteer!

Humanitarian Service Project (HSP) was thrilled today to have seven helpful volunteers from Calvary Church in Addison come and lend a hand.  The group of women spent two hours sorting paper products for the needy seniors we serve, as well as helping HSP get ready for our delivery day to the seniors this Saturday. HSP provides 123 seniors 100 pounds of groceries each, every month; including paper products (paper towels, tissues, and toilet paper.) The group put together 223 packages of paper products and created custom food packages for the seniors on special diets.

        This week happens to be National Volunteer Week. This week is a time to encourage everyone to look into helping better their communities by volunteering their time. This group from Calvary Church took to the activities they assisted us with enthusiastically and with great attitudes, truly embodying the spirit of generous, heartfelt volunteerism that this week represents. We wish to thank them for helping us serve the very needy and deserving seniors in our program.

             

A Divine Food Donation

            Mondays are typically days that elicit moans and groans from most of us in the working world. However, an enormous food donation from a valued supporter of HSP can definitely chase away those Monday blues. HSP’s volunteer Rich Patera from Divine Savior in Downers Grove drove his SUV chock full of delicious goodies over to our facility yesterday morning.

            Every two months, Divine Savior collects food for the needy seniors served by HSP’s Senior Citizen Project. And without fail, every two months, we at HSP couldn’t be happier or more thankful for every single generous donation we receive from the awesome people over at Divine Savior. In addition to the food drives they host throughout the year, Divine Savior is also incredibly involved in the Christmas Offering every holiday season.

           We extend our utmost appreciation and thanks to our loyal friends at Divine Savior. For over two decades they have been a major supporter of our goal to alleviate the suffering of impoverished children and seniors of the DuPage and Kane counties. We look forward to the time we will spend together helping the needy in our community in the future. If you or your organization would like to help our cause, contact us by phone at (630)221-8340 or by email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Ribfest

On July 3^rd, Ribfest returns to Naperville! Hosted by the Naperville Exchange Club, Ribfest is held to raise funds to fight child abuse, domestic violence, and to strengthen local families. The money raised is distributed to a variety of different organizations around the community that work against these social issues, including the Humanitarian Service Project. HSP is looking for people to volunteer alongside our staff to represent HSP at the event. Several thousands of volunteers are needed for the 4 day event and larger numbers of volunteers for HSP means a larger donation that HSP receives from the Naperville Exchange Club, which is then used to finance “Feed the Kids” and aid the needy in the DuPage and Kane counties. Volunteers are needed to help serve beverages, assist in the identification tents, help in children play areas, distribute information at event gates, serve as parking attendants, assist in cleaning up the grounds, and support the merchandising tents.

This year, Ribfest will host many different bands and entertainment groups including BoDeans, Roger Hodgson, Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat, and George Thorogood. There will also be family fun entertainment, local celebrities, and of course great food. Volunteers not only spend their time helping facilitate the event but also can enjoy the events themselves. This is an excellent opportunity for those who have never experienced the event before to partake in it, knowing that their efforts are for good causes to help benefit the local communities. If you or someone you know may be interested in volunteering at Ribfest for HSP, please call us at 630-221-8340. Set some time aside and support Ribfest!

1200 Backpacks Delivered to HSP!

The Rotary Club of Wheaton has been a huge supporter of HSP for the last twenty years and yesterday they dropped off a large contribution. Roger Tully, a Rotary member and friend of HSP, was kind enough to deliver 1200 backpacks yesterday on behalf of the club! The Wheaton Rotary, spearheaded by Lori Belha, is invested in equipping needy children with school supplies as one of the major initiatives of the group, which is why they support HSP and the Wheaton School District 200.

            This donation will support HSP’s School Supply Drive. Supplies that are collected through the summer will be distributed to needy families through the DuPage Regional Office of Education for their Back to School Fair. After August when the fair has ended, HSP continues to collect school supplies and distribute them in the early fall to local schools in the DuPage and Kane counties. The schools distribute the supplies to children in the classroom that lack the proper tools due to their limited means. It is the goal of all these collaborative partnerships to prepare children with the necessary tools to help them succeed academically and ultimately in creating a better life for their future. HSP would like to thank the Rotary Club of Wheaton for their contribution towards achieving this goal. 

Peanut Butter and Pancakes and Peaches, Oh My!

Although HSP is frequently blessed with food donations, some items still fly off our shelves faster than we can restock them. With another Senior Citizen Project delivery day fast approaching, and Feed the Kids beginning in two months, HSP could use your help to replenish the supplies of some of our popular items.We have a specific and urgent need for the following: peanut butter and jelly; pancake mix and maple syrup; oatmeal; cold cereal; canned fruit, and boxed rice meals. Seniors and families alike appreciate the variety of quick and easy meals that can be prepared with these foods, and they are cheaper and often healthier than a fast food meal! Would you consider donating some of these items, or perhaps conducting a food drive and specifically collecting one or more of these types of food?

In addition to helping us refill our warehouse shelves, your donation will also earn HSP money! As we wrote about yesterday, The Feinstein Challenge, an annual nationwide campaign against hunger, continues through April 30^th. All the donations we receive from March 1-April 30 will result in a monetary donation to HSP relative to the amount we raise during these two months.

If you would like more information on HSP or are interested in helping out with these specific needs, please visit our website, www.humanitarianservice.org, or give us a call at 630-221-8340!

So the Feinstein Challenge Continues!

April is finally here, and the fight against hunger is in full swing. Humanitarian Service Project is part of the Feinstein Challenge that began March 1 and goes through April 30^th. This challenge is a nation- wide fight against hunger that nonprofits like Humanitarian Service Project get to participate in and split $1 million. HSP is requesting food drives throughout the local community to help gather as much food to aid in ending hunger. The Feinstein Foundation was founded by Alan Feinstein, a retired businessman, now a full-time philanthropist. His foundation's challenge has become the most successful grassroots campaign dedicated to ending hunger. Mr. Feinstein has raised over $2 billion for the needy. We at HSP are thrilled to be apart of this exciting campaign.

            You too, can be a part of the excitement! Help HSP by making a food donation now through April 30^th. Your donation will go directly to serving needy children and seniors. If your group or organization has wanted to do a food drive to support HSP, right now is the perfect time! The more we collect in monetary and food donations, the larger percentage of the $1 million we will receive. For more information about how to get involved, please give us a call at (630) 221-8340 or e-mail us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

NJWC is ‘Hoppy’ to Serve the Community

We at HSP are pleased to announce that our friends over at the Naperville Junior Woman’s Club

(NJWC) will be hosting a brand new fundraiser event this April!

And no, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke.

On Saturday April 12, NJWC will be hosting its first annual Hoppy Easter Festival at Safety Town (1320 Aurora Ave) in Naperville from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tickets are $7 per family, and NJWC encourages every family to bring a non-perishable food item. Families who provide a donation will be entered into a raffle to win a prize.

HSP is grateful to be entering its second year as NJWC’s Community Improvement Partner. This means that donations from the event will benefit HSP (in addition to Naperville Safety Town).

There will be plenty of family fun for all in attendance. Children can bring baskets for the Easter egg hunt, and also have the opportunity to meet Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny.

Come join us at the Hoppy Easter Festival for a good time and to help make a difference in the community.

Hope to see you there!