Update on the Senior Endowment Campaign with Allured Business Media

There is just a little over a week left in our Senior Endowment Campaign sponsored by Allured Business Media. As we quickly approach the deadline of October 17^th, we are coming very close to reaching our $15,000 goal! We just need $1,006 to help us establish an endowment to enroll an impoverished senior in our Senior Citizen Project (SCP) for life. This campaign has been made possible thanks to the partnership of HSP and Allured Business Media. Allured is matching donations dollar for dollar up to $7,500. This will allow us to reach the goal of establishing a $15,000 endowment (including Allured’s match) raising SCP’s enrollment to 124 seniors. SCP provides 100 lbs. of nutritious groceries to seniors each month, direct to their door. We greatly appreciate the continued support from Allured Business Media and are excited to have the opportunity to expand our service to a very deserving senior in need. 

Enjoy a “Ladies Night Out” in Support of HSP

On November 13^th, 2014 the Naperville Junior Woman’s Club (NJWC) is holding their “Ladies Night out” fundraiser. This event will take place from 6:30 P.M. - 10 P.M. at the Marriot in Naperville. Proceeds from this fundraiser will support HSP and Naperville’s Safety Town. Tickets are now available and can be purchased at http://napervillejuniors.org/. There will be live music from the Acoustiholics and a performance by the Steps Dance Center. Spa treatments, shopping, raffles and a silent auction are among the other activities that will be taking place that night. It is expected to be a fun night out, while supporting a great cause!  HSP is the chosen charity for the NJWC’s “Community Improvement Project” for 2013 and 2014. Through this program, the juniors have devoted a lot of time and resources to help us serve those in need and we wish to thank them. We hope you will come out this event to support the NJWC in their efforts to help us here at HSP.    

Congregation Etz Chaim Food Drive and Divine Savior Food Drive

          HSP is incredibly blessed to have so many wonderful community supporters to help us serve the needy seniors and children in DuPage and Kane Counties.  This week, HSP has seen a multitude of support from two of our community partners, Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard and Divine Savior Parish in Downers Grove.  

HSP's van filled with the food donations received from Congregation Etz Chaim

          On Saturday, HSP received a very large food donation from Congregation Etz Chaim.  Congregation Etz Chaim donated bags of food they collected through their Senior Youth Group’s annual High Holiday Food Drive to HSP.  Congregation Etz Chaim asked every family to fill at least one bag full of non-perishable food items to be donated towards the food drive, and the families did not disappoint:  with over 300 bags of food, our van was completely filled to the roof!  Thank you to our volunteer, Tom Hogan, who graciously gave his time on Saturday morning to pick up the food at Etz Chaim; HSP would also like to thank the youth at Etz Chaim who helped to load the van full of the bags of food, and to the families who attend Etz Chaim that donated food.  Tom and Congregation Etz Chaim’s support and generosity are unparalleled, and all of us here at HSP are so grateful for all of the support they provided to the seniors we serve. 

          Yesterday, HSP received another donation via a food drive held by Divine Savior Parish.  Every two months, Divine Savior holds a food drive for the seniors in the Senior Citizenship Project (SCP), and we are always grateful for their continued support.  Divine Savior has been a huge supporter of HSP for over 20 years, regularly holding food drives for SCP and being involved in supporting our Christmas Offering.  Divine Savior donated 45 bags of non-perishable food items from their most recent food drive, which was picked up by our volunteer, Bill Fehling.  Thank you, Bill and everyone at Divine Savior:  your continued support is changing the lives of 123 impoverished seniors for the better.

          HSP couldn’t be nearly as successful or serve nearly as many people as we do without the support of our community partners and volunteers.  If you are interested in volunteering for HSP, or if you would like to learn more about how you can hold a food drive for HSP, please visit our website at https://www.humanitarianservice.org, or send us an email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.  Thank you again to everyone at Congregation Etz Chaim and Divine Savior, your generosity means the world to all of us here at HSP and the people we serve.

One Dime at a Time

HSP is excited to announce that now through December HSP is the chosen charity of the “One Dime at a Time” campaign at Whole Foods in Wheaton. This program is designed to both cut down the use of disposable bags, and provide Whole Foods customers an opportunity to participate in assisting the needy.

How it works: When customers bring in their own bag instead of using a disposable one, they’ll get a dime off there receipt that they can choose to donate to HSP.

The donations that we receive will help fund the Senior Citizen Project. The Senior Citizen Project provides nutritious groceries to 123 needy seniors in the DuPage and Kane Counties. Each month, every senior in our project receives a 100 lbs delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats, non-perishables, bread, paper products and more.

HSP is excited to be the chosen charity of this program and is happy to be working with Whole Foods. The employees of Whole Foods in Wheaton have generously assisted HSP in the past; particularly during the Christmas season by donating Christmas gifts to the impoverished children we serve. We are happy to be working with Whole Foods in Wheaton for the sake of those in need in our communities. 

Volunteer spotlight: Van Drivers

Christmas preparations are underway! The HSP van is in heavy use around the area picking up non- perishable food and toys for the sake of the program. This is, of course, is in addition to delivering birthday boxes to our partner schools and regular tasks for our project. These tasks would not be done without the help from volunteers who drive our vans. The van drivers are essential to us because they help us keep the program running smoothly. We would like to thank them for their willingness to go the extra mile for the sake of the seniors, children and families enrolled in our projects. This time of year is especially busy for us; it is thanks to them that we will be prepared to make the holidays brighter for those in need.  

Toys 'R Us Donations Through K.I.D.S

          The past couple of days have been very exciting for all of us here at HSP.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, we received donations from two Toys ‘R Us Stores through our partnership with K.I.D.S/ Fashion Delivers.  K.I.D.S, or Kids In Distressed Situations, partners with retail stores to provide toys and other items to people impacted by poverty through local charities and non-profit organizations; Fashion Delivers is also a part of this program, focusing on donating clothing from retailers.

Jeff with a full van of toys donated by the Crystal Lake Toys 'R Us.

          HSP recently formed a relationship with K.I.D.S/ Fashion Delivers as a “community partner,” and we are very excited about the opportunities this partnership will bring to the children we serve through our Children’s Birthday Project and Christmas Offering.  Through the partnership with K.I.D.S, HSP received a donation of half a van full of toys on Tuesday from the Algonquin Toys ‘R Us store, and a full van of toys on Wednesday from the store in Crystal Lake.  These donations were picked up for us by our great volunteers, Bill Fehling on Tuesday, and Jeff Marker on Wednesday.

Some of the toys donated by the Algonquin and Crystal Lake Toys 'R Us stores.

          We are very excited about these donations, as they are sure to bring immeasurable joy to the children enrolled in our Children’s Birthday Project.  Through this program, HSP provides 925 children with a 20-25 pound box of new toys, games, puzzles, and age-appropriate books, party supplies, and more on their birthdays.  These donations will also be extremely helpful in providing for children through our Christmas Offering, which provides 1,600 families with Christmas gifts during the holiday season. 

Thank you to K.I.D.S, the Crystal Lake and Algonquin Toys ‘R Us stores, and our wonderful volunteers Bill and Jeff; we couldn’t possibly make any of this happen without all of you, and your generosity means the world to all of us here at HSP and the children we serve.

            As Christmas quickly approaches, the need for toy donations grows ever larger.  If you’d like to learn more about HSP’s Christmas Offering or how you can donate, please visit our website at http://www.humanitarianservice.org.      

Giving Tree Donors Needed to Brighten Holidays for Children

Happy First of October! We are very excited here at HSP as we approach the busy holiday season. Around this time is when impoverished families start calling to ask to be added to the waiting list for our Christmas Offering. Every Christmas we serve 1,600+ children in need with at least 3 new Christmas gifts. This includes the 925 children in our Children’s Birthday Project, their siblings between the ages of 12-15, and as many needy children on our waiting list that we receive donations for. One of the ways you can help is by signing up to be a Giving Tree donor. To get involved, give us a call at (630) 221-8340 and we will assign you a child, or more if desired. We will provide you with a list of suggested gift ideas and then you shop, wrap and return the gifts to HSP. Through our Christmas Offering, we at HSP strive to make Christmas fun and exciting for needy children whose families cannot afford Christmas gifts. During this time, we greatly need your help in order to serve these children and greatly appreciate your support!