Thank you Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine!

In today’s world it is important for students to spend their time wisely. Some chose to have internships, others work very hard on school work but some, who on top of spending their time participating in all that work, reserve their time to volunteer.

Yesterday HSP was happy to host 14 volunteers from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (part of Midwestern University) volunteered for over 2 ½ hours. They spent their time sorting meat and bread for the Feed the Kids distribution next week, as well as wrapping gifts for needy children. Midwestern University has made this type of teamwork and donation of time a part of their school’s priorities. This service is part of an orientation for incoming students. Through this program they are able to volunteer at various places throughout the community and we are glad to have been chosen as one of the locations they graciously donated time to.

 In the past as well, students from Midwestern have been active in programs specifically supporting those that assist children in need.

We wish to thank these students from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine has for giving their time to help us reach needy kids. With the help of groups like this one we are able to help the impoverished members of DuPage County.

Eagle Scout Soars to Great Heights for HSP

            Summer is wrapping up, and our School Supply Drive is still going strong. In fact, today we want to thank Jack Collins, an Eagle Scout who helped make a difference in the lives of needy children.

            Jack is part of Troop 926, which meets at Immaculate Conception Parish. As part of his Eagle Scout Project, he decided to run a school supply collection to help support the needy kids we serve through our School Supply Drive. Jack made 500 flyers and passed them out both at his parish and in the community. All of his hard work paid off; with the help of his family and friends, he was able to generate a donation of 15 boxes full of new supplies! This is an amazing contribution, and we’re very thankful (and impressed!).

            Jack heard about HSP through a friend who also did his Eagle Scout Project with us a few months ago. We’re glad that these scouts are choosing to put their efforts toward helping children in need. HSP’s School Supply Drive aims to provide impoverished children with the items that they need to succeed in school but cannot afford. With 15 boxes of supplies, Jack has helped a lot of kids!

            We are extremely lucky to have individuals like Jack who truly strive to make a difference in their community. On behalf of the children and all of us here at HSP, thank you, Jack!

We need help replenishing our food stock!

Summer has come to a head and our last Feed the Kids distribution will take place on Wednesday August 6^th. HSP has successfully reached 100 impoverished families each month with almost 200 lbs of food for each of them.

        With our supplies of food steadily replenishing and draining over the busy summer thanks to Feed the Kids, our shelves need some restocking for the sake of our Senior Citizen Project. Through this program HSP provides 123 local, impoverished seniors 100 lbs of fresh and nutritious food that we provide for them every month. To ensure that these seniors are receiving the nutrients they need to live healthily, HSP goes through a large amount of certain foods every month. Due to our recent activities, our pantry has been very low on the following items:

                                              Tuna

                                              Oatmeal

                                              Pancake mix

                                              Peanut butter

                                              Jelly

                                             Cereal

If you wish to help us make a difference in the lives of needy seniors, please consider donating these items. Thank you for your time and dedication to the Humanitarian Service Project.

Backpacks Galore!

            Today, HSP had an exciting donation of backpacks thanks to the Wheaton Rotary! 520 backpacks were dropped off today by member Roger Tully. This is in addition to the 1200 backpacks that the Wheaton Rotary donated for needy children in April.

            A major priority of the Wheaton Rotary is to support local organizations that help equip needy children with school supplies that normally they would not be able to afford. This project is spearheaded by Rotary member and educator, Lori Belha. We are grateful to have the Rotary of Wheaton as supporters for HSP’s School Supply Drive!

            Because of generous donations like this, HSP is able to provide over 3,200 impoverished needy children with the supplies they need to succeed in school. Through the School Supply Drive, HSP supports the DuPage Regional Office of Education’s “Back to School Fair,” Kane County’s “Project Backpack,” and donates directly to local schools in the DuPage and Kane counties. If you would like to donate school supplies to help us help others, please give HSP a call at 630-221-8340. 

Happy Birthdays All Around

     Today was filled with birthday fun here at HSP! It was a very special day for one of HSP’s wonderful employees. Matt, HSP’s Grant Manager, celebrated his birthday today. His actual birthday is Sunday, but what better way to celebrate a 26^th birthday than at work among colleagues and friends. From everyone here at HSP happy birthday Matt!

        

   On the topic of birthdays, interns Matthew and Nicole once again ventured to the McDonald’s headquarters to explain the Children’s Birthday Project to a group of young volunteers. This was a “Helping Hands” event put on by the Working Mothers Council. These volunteers were children of the staff at McDonald’s, and their job was to put together a “Party in a Bag”. The bags consist of all the elements needed to give impoverished families the means to throw their children the party they deserve. The kids packed the bags full of candles, napkins, plates, balloons, noise makers, streamers, cake mix, frosting, and a table cloth. The children were dedicated and worked at a quick pace to complete the bags to be taken back to HSP and be given to a deserving child. All in all the kids put together a whopping 26 bags to be taken back to HSP and given to families in need! HSP sends a huge thank you to all the volunteers at McDonald’s. Every helping hand can make a difference to those in need!

If you or a group you are a part of would like to volunteer with Humanitarian Service Project, we welcome you to call us at 630-221-8340 or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org

A Sad Goodbye to Ashlee

            Today, all of us here at HSP had to say our goodbyes to one of our interns, Ashlee. She has done an incredible amount of work in the two months that she’s been with us, and she will be greatly missed. HSP won’t be the same without her upbeat attitude, strong work ethic, and funny stories.

            Ashlee started at HSP in May as part of the internship program at Radford University in Virgina, where she is majoring in public relations. She was

able to put her PR skills to good use here, as she contributed to numerous different projects. Ashlee spent much of her time reaching out to the community about our School Supply Drive and designing/redesigning several flyers for various HSP programs. She also assisted with our senior update process, in which she interviewed seniors to increase our knowledge about their current living situations and needs, and then recorded this information in a narrative to send to their sponsors. Ashlee was always kept busy but gave each task her all. Everything she accomplished was done so with hard work and creativity.
            This Sunday, Ashlee will be heading back home to Virginia and will start school a few weeks later. We wish her the best of luck as she enters her last year of college, although we know that she will succeed in all she does. Thank you, Ashlee!

Back to School: Here Before We Know It

Typical supplies donated to HSP.

Doesn’t it seem just like yesterday that local children were getting off the bus to start their summer while clamoring excitedly about how they are now a grade older?

            With the 2014-2015 school year just around the corner, our annual School Supply Drive is in full swing. This program strives to help impoverished students in DuPage and parts of Kane County succeed in their studies by supplying them with the necessary items to do so. Last year, we successfully reached an estimated 3,200 children!

            By partnering with both the DuPage Regional Office of Education’s Back to School Fair on August 6th and Project Backpack in Kane County on August 9th, we hope to reach even more students this time around. However, this cannot be done without your support.

            Waiting for the sales to start? Well, you are in luck! Now is a great time to head down to your favorite store and buy pens, pencils, notebooks, whatever you can. Any amount of contribution is greatly appreciated and will go a long way in helping make a difference in a child’s life.

            Any donations can be dropped off at 465 Randy Road in Carol Stream. If you cannot stop by until after the above dates, do not worry, for HSP will be collecting supplies until the end of the month and distributing them directly to other local schools with a high percentage of need.

Can you help us reach our goal? Give to a local child in need today.

Thank you for your continued love and support. It is because of you that we are able to do what we do.

The Last Fling

         As the summer comes to an end our friends at the Naperville Jaycee’s are busy preparing their annual treat for local residents, “The Last Fling”, a festival filled with music and family fun. The four-day festival will take place during Labor Day Weekend, August 29^th through September 1^st and will feature live music, a carnival, Family Fun Land and the Labor Day parade.

        The festival not only brings some late summer fun and joy, it helps support charities including Humanitarian Service Project. HSP is looking for volunteers interested in representing us at this event. As the Naperville Jaycee’s largest annual fundraiser, they will donate $7 per hour for each volunteer representing HSP, which will directly go to our Feed the Kids program.

       If you would like to volunteer your time at “The Last Fling” contact us at 630-221-8340. You can also learn more at lastfling.org. They accept volunteers aged 12 and up, and ask that for every 2 to 4 younger volunteers there be an adult to help supervise them.

Daring Drivers

            Once again, the delivery day for our Senior Citizen Project was a success thanks to everyone who graciously volunteered their time on Saturday! We would like to especially recognize those that volunteered their time as well as their cars to deliver food to needy seniors. We are grateful to have our regular drivers who commit to serving the seniors each month as well as the “sub drivers” who offer their time in place of drivers that cannot make it. With their help, 123 needy seniors were provided with 100lbs of fresh produce and non-perishable goods. We couldn’t have done it without them, thank you drivers!

            If you are interested in becoming a sub-driver for our delivery days, please contact HSP at 630.221.8340. 

Prepping for Delivery Day!

Tomorrow is the monthly Delivery Day for our Senior Citizen Project! We will deliver 100 lbs. of nutritious groceries to each of the 123 seniors that we support in the program. Included in this delivery are fresh fruits and vegetables, Pepperidge Farm bread, non-perishables, meat, paper products, and gifts from their “Secret Pal”. In order for the deliveries to run smoothly however, we need some assistance from some amazing volunteers to get organized and ready to deliver. Today those amazing volunteers happen to be the great people from UPS supply Chain Solutions in Carol Stream. Seven people came out today and volunteered their time to sort the produce and bread for the event tomorrow. UPS Supply Chain Solutions has been a regular supporter of HSP and we are extremely thankful for their volunteers and all the help they have given us. From everyone here at HSP, thank you! If you would like to learn more about our Senior Citizen Project, you can visit online at humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/seniorproject.html or call (630) 221-8340.

Healthy Pet, Happy Senior

HSP's Senior Citizen Project coordinator (R) with Bob Kingsley,
a volunteer from Fox Valley Animal Welfare League.

Would you consider your pet to be a member of your family? Do you know anyone that does? Unfortunately, however, many of the impoverished seniors in our Senior Citizen Project lack the monetary means necessary to adequately provide for them.   

That is why we here at HSP have regularly partnered with the Fox Valley Animal Welfare League in North Aurora. Each month, this group helps us reach those enrollees in need by donating pet food for any four-legged or winged companions they have.

            With July’s “Delivery Day” just two days away, we would like to take the time to extend our deepest gratitude for all the assistance the members of Fox Valley Animal Welfare League have provided since forging their relationship with us over two years ago. As a result of the organization’s generous donations, our 123 seniors can now continue to receive love, companionship and a means of staying active from the little (or big) loved ones in their life.

If you would like to learn more about our Senior Citizen Project, you can visit online at humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/seniorproject.html or call (630) 221-8340. 

SEAL Returns… for the Kids

     After helping sort products for our seniors last month, the volunteers from the School of Expressive Arts and Learning (SEAL) were back again today – this time to help the kids! Five students and two chaperones from SEAL spent two hours sorting food into 150 snack bags for the needy children we serve.

     The students at SEAL assist local communities every Wednesday, as well as observe and experience different work environments. We are both lucky and grateful to see them so often. Our programs would not be as successful as they are without the help of our volunteers. On behalf of HSP and all of the children you’ve helped today, thank you, SEAL!

Two Churches generously donate time and food supplies!

These past two days HSP has been blessed to have not one but two churches generously donate supplies for the needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. We are so thankful for the dedication and work that other organizations give to help us make a better community in which to live.

   Yesterday, Corpus Christi Church in Carol Stream brought in a car load of food from their annual food drive! This drive is spearheaded by the churches “Council of Catholic Woman”, they have generously donated to HSP for three consecutive summers. Corpus Christi’s Council of Catholic Woman specifically runs the drive. They collected nine boxes and five bags filled with non-perishables.

    The second generous group was from St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Lemont. This group came in both to volunteer and brought in a donation. Their donation comprised of a car filled with items specifically requested by our seniors, like personal care products, stamps, pillows and even some appliances. When they came in with the donation three volunteers from St. Alphonsus’ woman’s club happily spent time creating bags of food for the seniors that have special diets to be delivered this Saturday and creating meat packages for our Feed the Kids program.

   We appreciate the special attention and dedication to our programs that these two wonderful groups have given. This collective commitment to serving others allows HSP to make a big difference throughout DuPage and Kane counties.  

Pancakes for Breakfast

Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. Many seniors in need cannot afford to eat three meals a day so breakfast is often skipped. Here at HSP, we make sure that we provide the 123 needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project with a balanced diet. This includes items for all three meals of the day. Currently we are in need of specific breakfast items such as: pancake mix, syrup, oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly.  This Saturday is our Senior Citizen Project Delivery Day for the month of July. Every month, 100 lbs of fresh produce and non-perishable items are delivered to seniors in need.  Donating small items like this is one way that you can help us make a difference in the lives of others. If you would like to help provide the most important meal of the day to a needy senior, please give HSP a call at 630-221-8340. 

Personal Care from a Group that Cares

Yesterday HSP received 65 personal care kits from our good friends at the Naperville Junior Woman’s Club (NJWC). HSP is their chosen “Community Improvement Partner” for the years 2013 and 2014 and this is just the most recent of the clubs many generous donations for the needy seniors and children we serve. By donating personal care kits, NJWC are helping the 123 seniors in our Senior Citizen Project remain healthy. Seniors in this program are given these kits every three months, which include shampoo, conditioner, lip balm, a toothbrush, tooth paste, lotion, soap, and hand sanitizer. These items ensure that the senior’s personal hygiene is provided for on top of the nutritional groceries they receive each month.

The kits provided by the NJWC were brought alongside the groups “Secret Pal gifts” by member Annette Koch. The Secret Pal program is another part of the Senior Citizen Project through which volunteer “Secret Pals” provide a needy senior a small gift each month. Types of gifts can range from blankets, to candles, laundry detergent, to gift cards. We at HSP want to thank the NJWC for their help and generous donation to the program. Everything they do makes a huge difference in the lives of those in need. If you or anyone you know is interested in donating, please contact HSP at 630-221-8340 or hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

HSP’s School Supply Drive is Back!

While it’s not quite back-to-school time just yet, HSP is hitting the ground running with our School Supply Drive! Through this program, HSP helps impoverished students have the school supplies they need, so when August does roll around, they are equipped for academic success! Last year, HSP reached an estimated 3,200 needy kids in the area by supporting the DuPage Regional Office of Education’s Back to School Fair and distributing supplies to local schools with large populations of needy kids. This year, HSP will also be supporting Kane County’s Project Backpack in order to reach even more students.

 New school supplies are important for every child to perform well in the classroom, and it is hard for children from low-income families to always have access to these resources. HSP will support both of these distributions with our annual School Supply Drive. We collect backpacks, pens, pencils, notebooks, art supplies, and more in order to help prepare underserved children for the upcoming academic year. The Back to School Fair is August 6^th, and Kane County’s Project Backpack distribution is August 9^th, so HSP is reaching out to our wonderful supporters (you) to bring in donations to help us provide for the needy kids served by these great events. Can’t donate by those dates? No problem. HSP will still be collecting supplies after these events and distributing straight to local schools with large populations of impoverished children.  If you or anyone you know is interested in donating, please contact HSP at 630-221-8340 or hsp@humanitarianservice.org. 

Feeding the Kids (Round Two!)

            It seems like just yesterday that we were loading cars with groceries, but the past month has flown by, and today was already our second Feed the Kids distribution day of the summer! With 500 boxes lined up in rows, shopping carts full of food, and hundreds of bags of meat ready to go, our warehouse was organized chaos. Within the first hour, over 30 families had their cars filled with food! By the end of the day, 100 families will receive 175-200 pounds of non-perishable food, fresh fruit and vegetables, Pepperidge Farm bread, and a variety of meat.

            Of course, FTK would not run as smoothly without our fantastic volunteers. We had volunteers from the Carol Stream “Panther” chapter of the Young Men’s Service League and LaForce Inc. come back to help, and some from United Stationers joined us, as well as individual volunteers. They assisted with loading the cars with boxes, and keeping our process organized and efficient.

            The goal of Feed the Kids is in its name – to provide needy children and their families with food. During the school year, children receive food through their school’s lunch program. For some kids, when school is out for the summer, this could mean one less meal a day. FTK aims to fill that absence.

            Thank you to all of our volunteers for making this possible. With two distribution days down, there is only one more to go!

Helping Hands and Happy Families

This summer's attendees of Student
Life pose in HSP's warehouse.

For 100 local and impoverished families, tomorrow will be quite an exciting day. Why, you ask? Because it is none other than our second distribution of Feed the Kids (FTK) this summer!

As you may recall, FTK is program that takes place during the months of June, July and August where approximately 375 children and their families are supplied with 175 to 200 pounds of fresh and wholesome groceries. This resulted from the fact that being out of school for three months typically means a lack of access to subsidized lunches and other nutritious foods.

In counting down the hours, we would like to take the time to extend our deepest gratitude to all those who have helped us get ready both for this month and for last, including the Student Life camp at Wheaton College.

With participants from all over the country, this organization exists to help better the lives of those in need. This summer, for example, five hard-working individuals traveled all the way from Indiana to offer their services. As part of the “Random Acts of Kindness Campaign,” they selflessly dedicated four hours of their Tuesday to sorting 100 boxes of produce and bread, as well as wrapping gifts for the needy children enrolled in our Children’s Birthday Project.

Not only would we like to thank the members of Student Life for all the smiling faces and eager help they brought with them today, but for also giving three days of their time to volunteering with us. It has been such an honor to host them this afternoon, as will be the case on Wednesday and Thursday, too.

Chowin' Down at Ribfest

This weekend HSP’s staff and volunteers spent the weekend working the admissions gate and beverage tent at Naperville’s 2014 Ribfest. This year, Ribfest took place July 3^rd- 6^th in Knoch Park and was sponsored by the Exchange Club of Naperville. Families were able to participate in many fun-filled activities such as a bags tournament, petting animals at the petting zoo, riding classic carnival rides, and enjoying tasty food.

            Proceeds from Ribfest go directly to charities that serve needy children in the area.  HSP’s Feed the Kids program is one project that is supported by Ribfest. HSP would like to thank everyone who volunteered on our behalf and everyone who came out to the event. Your support means a lot! 

HSP Salutes our CBP Volunteers

           

      Yesterday we saluted some of the volunteers who make the Senior Citizen Project run smoothly; today we wish to do the same for those who volunteer for the Children’s Birthday Project (CBP). There are many volunteers who come in and contribute to our program by assisting in our upstairs toy room. There, they are involved with every stage of the creation of the birthday boxes. These boxes are filled with toys and party supplies to make their birthdays special. Without the help of our volunteers putting these boxes together, we would be unable to make children’s birthday wishes come true for all 925 needy kids served through our program. Today, we had Julie volunteering. She is one of our regular group CBP volunteers including Kristin, Pat, Dale, and Alice. We are so grateful to have them here to help make sure our program runs smoothly. We at HSP want to thank them and the other volunteers who contribute to the CBP. We know that the children and their families are just as thankful as we are for your support of the program. Thanks again!

            If you or anyone you know is interested in getting involved in HSP’s efforts to help needy children and seniors, feel free to contact us by phone at 630-221-8340, or by email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Special Thank-You to Judi and Bernie!

            Today we want to recognize two regular volunteers that go above and beyond for us here at the Humanitarian Service Project: Judi Simon and Bernie Bartelli. These two wonderful individuals visit us every single Wednesday to help out in the pantry section of our warehouse. They sort food and keep our shelves stocked and in order, as well as many other things that help ensure that our Senior Citizen Project runs as smoothly as possible.

            For someone to volunteer their time to help those in need is great, and we are incredibly grateful for Judi and Bernie to do so every week. They play a crucial role in the Senior Citizen Project. HSP relies on the generosity of volunteers and other supporters like them. Thank you, Judi and Bernie! We’re sure our seniors are just as grateful for you as we are!

            If you or anyone you know is interested in getting involved in HSP’s efforts to help needy children and seniors, feel free to contact us by phone at 630-221-8340, or by email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Where will you be? Ribfest starts this Thursday night!

                                           

Do you like Ribs? Do you like Fests? Then like any well-adjusted resident of the Western Chicago suburbs, you will find your way to Ribfest, which starts on July 3^rd  through Sunday the 6th.   What is more American than spending 4^th of July weekend eating plentiful great food, participating in a ton of fun activities and listening to some magnetic live music?

 As if the promise of summer fun was not enough, the proceeds from Ribfest go entirely to charity, and Humanitarian Service Project is one of the benefactors. To see a full list of all the activities and exciting visitors coming to Ribfest this weekend check out Ribfest.net for more information.

 Now if you would like to be a part of making Ribfest a success other than just attending, there are still a few last minute volunteer slots. You can work either at the admission gates on July 4^th from 4pm to 10pm or the Beverage Tent on July 6^th from 4pm to 10pm. Come help us raise money for your favorite charities.

We will see you there.