School of Expressive Learning Returns to HSP

Humanitarian Service Project had the pleasure of once again hosting volunteers from the School of Expressive Arts and Learning in Lombard. Seven students and teachers spent their time in our warehouse sorting paper products for the Senior Citizen Project. Each month, the needy seniors in the Senior Citizen Project receive toilet paper, tissue, and paper towels along with their grocery delivery. SEAL helped us prepare each senior’s paper products for Delivery Day on February 22^nd. Without the help of volunteers like the SEAL students, we could not serve the needy seniors of DuPage and Kane counties. We are extremely grateful for their service!

The school works hard to prepare its students for life beyond academia. They volunteer in a variety of settings to instill important values such as community involvement and service. We are grateful that they continue to choose HSP as a place for their students to volunteer their time. Their service is invaluable to our ability to serve needy populations in our community. If you or your group is interested in volunteering with HSP, please contact us by phone (630-221-8340 or by email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org. 

Divine Savior’s “Boxes of Love”

This week started out wonderfully at HSP thanks to our friends at Divine Savior Parish in Downers Grove. Today we received the donation of 123 “Boxes of Love” which they made for all of the needy seniors enrolled in our Senior Citizen Project. Every year, the members of the parish create these valentine themed boxes full of donated items for every senior served by our program. Based on our “Senior Care Kits,” these boxes contain hygiene products and other items to help our seniors maintain a healthy lifestyle.

An example "Box of Love"

These amazing boxes were dropped off at our Center today by Rich Patera, a longtime supporter of HSP and a member of Divine Savior. Each box included:

-          Facial Tissues

-          Toilet Paper

-          Toothpaste

-          Toothbrushes

-          Shampoo/Conditioner

-          Moisturizer

-          Mouth wash

-          Soap

-          Lip balm

-          And even tea and hot chocolate

On top of contributing these fantastic boxes every February, Divine Savior has been a huge supporter of HSP for over two decades. We wish to thank Rich, and everyone at Divine Savior, for helping us provide relief to the very needy and deserving seniors in our program.

Fruitful Friday Thanks to Lake Park High Transitions

The first full week of February ended on a high note at HSP thanks to a visit from our friends at Lake Park High School’s Transitions program. Eleven volunteers from the program spent two hours in our warehouse today, lending much appreciated support by helping us sort non-perishable food for the needy seniors we serve. These students and staff from the Transitions program spend every Friday engaged in helping the community, and we are very happy to have hosted them today. We wish to thank these volunteers for generously giving their time to help us serve local seniors in need.

Every month, HSP provides over six tons of groceries to 123 impoverished senior citizens living in DuPage and Kane. With all that food going out HSP needs not only volunteers, like this wonderful group from Lake Park High, but also community members interested in helping us by conducting food drives. In fact, much of the food sorted by the Lake Park group was donated by our friends at Benet Academy in Lisle, and the parishioners of Divine Savior Parish in Downers Grove. If you too would like to help HSP give this life altering support to needy seniors, you can learn more at our website: humanitarianservice.org.

Opportunities for students at COD’s Service Learning Fair

College can be a pretty strenuous time in a young person’s life. Between studying, homework, clubs, activities, and part-time jobs, it’s a miracle that students are even able to maintain a social life. Yet many young people over at College of Dupage are taking time out of their busy schedules to make a difference in their community.

Yesterday, HSP staff member Alex and our intern Sara had the pleasure of visiting the Service Learning Fair held at COD. The college offers service learning classes, which require twenty hours of service work for a community organization. The fair is held for students to discover local charities and non-profits that can provide volunteer hours.

Partnering with COD creates a sort of “win-win” situation for both students and organizations—students are enriched with work experience, and the different charities and non-profits have a few extra hands to get things done. Over at HSP, we’ve had a number of exceptional students from COD in the past, and are looking forward to being a hosting site for the program again this year. 

Partnership Provides Food for Needy Seniors

The weather has certainly been challenging this winter, but that hasn’t stopped our wonderful supporters from providing some very wonderful donations for the sake of the needy seniors and families we serve. One such donation we would like to highlight specifically is the 72 bags of food we received thanks to the partnership of Caputo’s Fresh Market and the Bloomingdale Roselle Kiwanis Club. Caputo’s has been reaching out to its customers to donate food for the seniors and families in our programs. We’ve made this connection thanks to our friends at the Kiwanis Club, who also graciously delivered the donation to our center yesterday. We wish to thank Caputo’s, their customers, and the Bloomingdale-Roselle Kiwanis for making this amazing donation possible.

            These 72 bags of food are just the latest in a long list of generous donations we’ve received over the past few months to benefit the neediest members of our communities. Thank you to everyone who has made donations recently, including those who responded to our call for the much needed toilet paper for our needy seniors. For those interested in a way to make an impact in the community, please check out our website: humanitarianservice.org.

The Feinstein Challenge Is Coming Soon!

Kingsley Elementary students with their food drive donations

March and April bring lots of excitement—the start of spring, St. Patrick’s Day, the Easter Bunny…and, around HSP, the Feinstein Challenge! In the $1 Million Giveaway to Fight Hunger, the Feinstein Foundation divides up and distributes $1 million among non-profit organizations working to end hunger in their area. The amount received from the Feinstein Foundation is directly related to how much money and food the organizations themselves raise from March 1^st-April 30^th. With the Feinstein Challenge in mind, March and April would be great months to run a food drive or giving campaign. Last year, thanks to our supporters, HSP raised thousands of dollars worth of food and money during the Feinstein Challenge for our programs that help hungry senior citizens and children. This year, we hope to raise even more support than we did last year!

The Feinstein Foundation was founded in 1991 by Alan Shawn Feinstein, who retired from a successful career as a financial writer and adviser to found an organization dedicated to giving. The $1 Million Giveaway has raised $1.25 billion since its inception in 1997, making it the most successful grassroots effort ever to fight hunger. Please start thinking about contributing to HSP for the Feinstein Challenge! More details will be posted on the blog as March 1^st nears, including fundraiser ideas. 

HSP All Revved Up for “Race Against Hunger”

Luanne after winning last year's event.

While it may not garner as much attention as last night’s Super Bowl, we at HSP are looking forward to a different match-up that will hopefully be a little more competitive. Next Thursday, February 13^th, the DuPage County Farm Bureau will hold its annual National Food Check-Out week event at Jewel in Carol Stream. For the second straight year, HSP will be one of the beneficiaries of the event, a ten minute race through the Jewel a la “Supermarket Shuffle.” Once again, HSP has been selected as the chosen charity of Luanne Triolo-Newman, Executive Director of the Carol Stream Chamber of Commerce. Luanne, a good friend of HSP, ran the race on our behalf last year and won the event. This year, Luanne will be racing Ryan McPherrin of School District 93, who will be collecting food for the Neighborhood Food Pantry at the Lutheran Church of the Master, also located in Carol Stream.

The DuPage County Farm Bureau is running this event to coincide with National Food Check-Out Week. One of the major focuses of the week is to raise awareness about the existence of hunger in our communities, and encourage people to support local food pantries. The groceries collected by the competitors will highlight the crops grown by Illinois farmers, and will be donated by the Farm Bureau to HSP and the Neighborhood Food Pantry. Last year’s “Race Against Hunger,” was both great fun and brought in a large amount of groceries and funds for the sake of the needy seniors and families served by our programs. We are excited to be a part of the event this year as well, and grateful that Luanne has selected HSP once again.