Visit Ribfest This Weekend!

We at the Humanitarian Service Project wish to remind all of our supporters that the Naperville Exchange Club’s Ribfest opens tomorrow and runs through the 4^th! This event features fun for the whole family, and its proceeds go to a number of worthy local charities, including HSP. There will be a lot of great food, music, and exciting activities, so we encourage any of our supporters who are looking for something to do this weekend to head over to Ribfest. You can learn more about the event here: http://www.ribfest.net/. 

Support Kristin and Allyson's Campaign!

Time is running out to support HSP team members Kristin and Allyson in their campaign to provide nutritional support and happy birthdays for low-income children! Kristin and Allyson both celebrated their own birthdays in the month of June. Instead of gifts for themselves, they generously requested that their friends and family donate to their campaign in order to supply gifts for children in HSP’s Children’s Birthday Program. They are already more than halfway to their goal, so visit their campaign at https://www.classy.org/fundraise?fcid=697201 to donate, wish them a happy birthday, and help provide a happier birthday for kids in need!  

School Supplies Needed for HSP's Annual School Supply Drive

It’s already the end of June, which means school is just around the corner! Children across Kane and DuPage counties will soon be going out to purchase new school supplies for the upcoming school year. Many families depend on school supply drives and Back to School fairs to provide them with the supplies their children need. HSP will be holding its annual School Supply Drive through the end of August to help provide families and children in need with new backpacks, notebooks, pencils, and other supplies they need to be successful in school. All supplies will be distributed to local Back to School fairs in early August. Supplies donated after the fairs end will be given to local schools with high percentages of poverty, and in our birthday boxes. School supply donations can be dropped off at HSP’s office, 465 Randy Road in Carol Stream. We are excited to see the huge impact this project will have in our community this year!

Ribfest is Coming

Ribfest is coming. For those who do not know, Ribfest is a fair that is put on every year in Naperville; as you can probably guess from the name there are a lot of ribs involved. But the purpose of the event is to help erase child abuse and domestic violence. It’s an event that is largely staffed by volunteers and there are a few slots left for those that wish to help out. What’s interesting about Ribfest is volunteers can represent various charities that attend and the more volunteers each charity gets, the more support they receive. The Humanitarian Service Project is one such charity involved so if you would like to support TWO good causes and eat lots of ribs on the side, you can go to ribfest.net for more info. We hope to see you there.

Kindercare Visit and Donation

The Humanitarian Service Project (HSP) would like to thank the wonderful visitors we received from Kindercare. They came in and brought cards and crafts that they put together for the kids in our Children’s Birthday Project (CBP) and the seniors enrolled in our Senior Citizen Project (SCP). Their visit included a tour of our facility to see how their efforts will help others in the community. The staff of HSP always likes to see the next generation learn about helping the community around them so we would like to thank the staff of Kindercare for arranging this and all the kids that put this wonderful donation together.

New Way to Get Involved with HSP

HSP recently announced a new way to join us in meeting the needs of the families, children, and seniors we serve. Through our new platform, you can assist in HSP’s mission using your own talents, creativity, and interests. Some ways to fundraise include running a 5k, asking for donations instead of gifts for a party, or hosting a jeans day at work. The possibilities are endless! Visit humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/index_classy.html for even more suggestions and to get you on your way to fundraising for HSP. An example of a great campaign would be that of Vinnie Nedrow, a longtime friend of HSP, who is engaging his friends to sponsor children in the Children’s Birthday Project. You can check out his campaign at https://www.classy.org/fundraise?fcid=698263. We are excited to see all the new and exciting ways that you will get involved to make a difference!

Welcome Natalie

In the midst of our very exciting week last week, HSP also welcomed a new member to our intern team, Natalie Sherburne. Natalie is attending Belmont University in Nashville, where she is studying International Business. She will be spending the summer doing community outreach for HSP. Natalie says she is very excited to learn about how non-profit organizations function. Please join us in welcoming Natalie to HSP!

Thank You, Clarke Volunteers!

Today, a group of nine volunteers from Clarke spent their morning helping us get ready for the next distribution for our Feed the Kids program. These wonderful volunteers prepared and packed over 100 boxes for the families we serve. Our Feed the Kids project provides 175 pounds groceries each month of summer to 100 families living in poverty. FTK would not be possible without the continued support of amazing volunteers like Clarke. Thanks so much! 

Happy Birthday to Two of HSP's Wonderful Team Members!

Today HSP was excited to celebrate the birthdays of two of our team members, Kristin and Allyson! Those of you who know either of these two know that they have devoted themselves wholeheartedly to helping others, so we knew we needed to take the time to celebrate their special days! Always looking for ways to outdo themselves, Kristin and Allyson are using the opportunity of their birthdays to raise funds to spread birthday joy to local children in need. Please check out their amazing campaign here: https://www.classy.org/fundraise?fcid=697201, and, above all, please join us in wishing happy birthday to these wonderful members of HSP’s team!

HSP Hosts a "Mobile Food Pantry"

Today the Humanitarian Service Project was excited to host a “mobile food pantry” with the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry. HSP agreed to host the event because the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry is currently undergoing renovations. Together we carried out a mobile food pantry serving 110 individuals and families. We would like to thank the team of volunteers that helped make this possible, which included volunteers both from HSP and Glen Ellyn Food Pantry. Also a big thank you to the awesome Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Staff, we love working with you guys and the driver from NIFB for his hard work. 

Thank You to 1st Presbyterian Church

HSP would like to thank the group of volunteers from First Presbyterian Church for their wonderful help today. Twenty-six volunteers from the church’s Vacation Bible School came to HSP’s center this morning and helped sort frozen meat for the 100 families enrolled in our Feed the Kids program. First Presbyterian Church sends a group of volunteers to HSP every summer during their Vacation Bible School, and we are so thankful for their continued support!

Volunteer at Ribfest!

It’s already the middle of June – which means we are only a few weeks away from Ribfest! This event put on by the Naperville Exchange Club is full of rides, delicious food, music, and fun for the whole family. Ribfest donates its profits to local charities, including HSP. Ribfest depends largely on volunteers to staff this event. The more volunteers representing HSP, the more donations we will receive. There are still a few volunteer spots available! Check out ribfest.net/volunteer, or help out by attending this fun event during the weekend of July 1^st – 4^th. We can’t wait to see you all there! 

Thank You to Girls on the Run Program

HSP would like to thank the Girls on the Run program at Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago. The girls in this program chose our Children’s Birthday Project as their Community Impact Project, and generously created Party-In-A-Box kits for the children in our program. They also gave handmade birthday cards to go along with the boxes. Thank you to these kind girls for their generosity and their motivation to make a difference in the lives of others. 

HSP Has an Exciting Announcement!

HSP is excited to announce that we have a new platform through which our supporters can get involved in helping make a difference in the lives of the senior citizens, children, and families we serve! By following the link: http://humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/index_classy.html you can learn ways how you can run your very own campaign to benefit the members of our communities that rely on HSP. Running a campaign can be a fun, personal way for you to connect with your family and friends with a cause that you care about. An example of a campaign would be that of HSP’s own Kristin and Allyson, who are asking for donations for their upcoming birthdays to provide fun and exciting birthdays to underprivileged children. You can check out their campaign here: https://www.classy.org/fundraise?fcid=697201. Please check out our website to learn about this fun, new way to engage in HSP’s mission. Please feel free to contact us with any questions: 630-221-8340 or hsp@humanitarianservice.org. 

Divine Savior Parish

The Humanitarian Service Project (HSP) always likes to bring attention to all those that assist us in providing for the community and this time we would like to bring attention to Divine Savior Parish. A few days ago HSP received a wonderful donation from our friends at Divine Savior Parish after they ran a food drive for the low income seniors and families we serve. Divine Savior Parish runs a food drive like this every other month and has been a friend to HSP for the last 25 years. Because of this we would like to extend our gratitude towards these amazing people and we look forward to working with them in the future. 

HSP's Feed the Kids Begins with a Bang

As the warehouse bustles and the road outside buzzes, the first Feed the Kids (FTK) pickup day of the summer is underway. Providing over 9 tons of groceries to 100 families is a lot of work for just the staff of the Humanitarian Service Project (HSP). We were glad to have the help of our friends from the National Charity League and the Young Men Service League along with various others who volunteered to serve their community by handing out food to our clients. We would also like to extend our gratitude to those individuals that donated to allow this event to happen in the first place. If you would like to be involved in July or August’s FTK event by donating you can contact us at (630) 221-8340 or if email is more your thing you can reach us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Thank You to UPS Volunteers

HSP is busy preparing for our first Feed the Kids distribution day! Tomorrow, 100 families will each receive 175 pounds of nutritious groceries. 10 wonderful volunteers from UPS Supply Chain Solutions came in today to help us sort fresh produce and bread for these families. Thank you to these hard working volunteers – our Feed the Kids program would not be possible without them. We are looking forward to a fun and successful distribution day!      

Thank You to Paylocity Volunteers

Humanitarian Service Project would like to say thank you to a group of 16 volunteers from Paylocity. This wonderful group gave their time on Friday to sort meat and non-perishables for seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. Paylocity has volunteered with us a number of times in the past, and we are very grateful for their continued generosity. 

School Supply Drive

It’s that time of year again, as May turns to June and the weather heats up the Humanitarian Service Project (HSP) begins preparation for our annual School Supply Drive. HSP provides school supplies to more than 3,000 low-income children throughout DuPage and Kane counties. HSP does this by supporting local “Back to School” fairs for low income families by distributing to schools with high populations of impoverished students. We are only able to do this through your donations of NEW backpacks, notebooks, folders, pens, and other school supplies so if you or someone you know is interested in helping these kids you can drop off donations at our office at 465 Randy Road in Carol Stream or you can contact us at 630-221-8340 or if email is more your thing you can reach us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org

HSP Welcomes Three New Interns

Over the last week, HSP has had the pleasure of welcoming three new members to its summer intern team; Luke Jolly, Gabbie Hill, and Kathleen Barry. These three will be spending part of their summer helping HSP make a difference in the lives of the seniors, children, and families we serve.

First up is Luke Jolly, who joins us from Wheaton College where he is studying communications. Luke says he is very excited to gain work experience while helping those in need at the same time. In his time at HSP, Luke will be helping us spread the word about our programs and ways people can get involved at HSP.

Second we would like to introduce you to Gabbie Hill. Gabbie joins us from Greenville College where she is studying social work and philosophy. Gabbie hopes to work in a non-profit one day, so she says she is very excited about gaining an in-depth look at the non-profit world at HSP.

Last but not least, we have Kathleen Barry, who is pursuing a Masters of Public Health degree from Benedictine University. Kathleen will be spending time at HSP working with the seniors in our Senior Citizen Project, and helping us better understand and serve their needs.

Please join us in welcoming these three to HSP!

Stay Tuned: An Exciting New Service Opportunity Coming Soon!

At HSP we are currently working on exciting new avenues in which people can get involved and participate in helping HSP make a difference for the senior citizens, children, and families who rely on our services.  Next week, HSP will have a big announcement about how to get creative to inspire others and make an impact in our communities. Please keep an eye out for this exciting announcement on June 9^th!