Happy Halloween from HSP!

HSP would like to wish all of our supporters a very Happy Halloween! Since we will not be in the office tomorrow, we at HSP came in today decked out in costume. Halloween represents an important watershed at HSP as it marks the beginning of our holiday hours. Starting on Monday November 2^nd, our hours of operation will be 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. every weekday. These will be HSP’s hours throughout the months of November and December.

Ray Graham & Montini

With preparations underway for our Christmas Offering program, things are quite exciting at HSP. Over the last 2 days we’ve had two groups come in to lend their support, Ray Graham Center and Montini Catholic High School.  Yesterday 10 dedicated volunteers from Ray Graham center sorted paper products for seniors in our Senior Citizen Project.  Today we are fortunate to have the wonderful sophomore class of Montini Catholic High School help with sorting gifts for Christmas. These diligent volunteers are truly making a difference in the lives of needy seniors and children in our community. HSP is extremely grateful for all of the phenomenal volunteers willing to give their time to help those in need. 

Thanks to local Elementary Schools for Food Drives

Yesterday HSP received two very generous food drives, both collected by staff and students at two local elementary schools: Evergreen Elementary in Carol Stream and Lake Park Elementary in Addison. Evergreen Elementary ran a food drive over the last couple weeks and dropped off 25 boxes of food yesterday. Lake Park Elementary ran a food drive last week, and our volunteer, Bill Fehling, picked up 16 boxes of food from them yesterday. We would like to thank both schools for their tremendous generosity and support, especially as we enter the holiday season.

HSP is now preparing for our annual Christmas Offering. In addition to providing food to 133 seniors each month, HSP will distribute an estimated 25 tons of groceries to needy families during the holidays. We wish to thank everyone at Evergreen and Lake Park Elementary for helping us toward this goal. If you, or a group you are involved with, would be interested in running a food drive, please contact HSP.  

Birthday Boxes Delivered to Schools

Today our volunteer Bill Fehling graciously delivered birthday boxes for the low-income children we serve at Lake Park Elementary, Army Trail Elementary in Addison, Currier Elementary School in West Chicago, and Head Start in Carol Stream, with November birthdays.  Each Birthday Box contains 6-10 new toys,  4-7 new books; a game or activity kit; plush animals; several smaller gifts such as bubbles, yo-yos, and card games; school supplies; and a “Party-in-a-Bag” with cake mix and frosting, candles, party favors, cups, plates, napkins, and more! HSP maintains partnerships with these schools and a few others with high populations of children living in poverty. Thank you to all involved in making the children in our Children’s Birthday Project feel special!

Senior Endowment Campaign A Success

A volunteer loading groceries for one of the seniors 

enrolled in our Senior Citizen Project

HSP concluded its Senior Endowment Campaign sponsored by Allured Business Media to provide a lifetime of groceries to a senior in need. We are incredibly excited to announce that we have reached our goal! With the $7,500 donation match from Allured, we have raised $16,000 to permanently add a new senior to the Senior Citizen Project. Due to this campaign, a low-income senior in Dupage County will receive a monthly delivery of nutritious groceries and other necessities for life. HSP would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this campaign. Your generosity will help us forever change the life of a senior in need.

Volunteerism x2!

HSP ended this week with the help of two wonderful volunteer groups. First, we had a group of 9 volunteers from Essendant in Carol Stream. These volunteers spent several hours boxing non-perishable food to be distributed to low income families through our Christmas Offering. Essendant has been a longtime supporter of HSP, and we were extremely grateful to host them today!

In addition to Essendant, we also had 12 volunteers join us today from Consecra Housing Management. These generous individuals helped us sort gifts for the children we will serve this Christmas, and we were delighted to have them join us!

We wish to thank these wonderful volunteer groups for giving their time and energy to help us serve those who need us most. 

Secret Pals

Currently HSP has 20 seniors who are without Secret Pals. Through the “Secret Pal” program volunteer donors provide a senior with a small gift each month, which is included in their monthly grocery delivery. These fun surprises provide seniors with the knowledge that there are those who love them and are thinking of them.

Items include:

-Things the seniors need but cannot afford such as laundry detergent and stamps

-Fun items to show they are cared for such as puzzles and books

-Or items to make their lives easier such as a gift card for prescriptions 

If you would be interested in learning more about, or joining, the Secret Pal program please contact HSP at 630.221.8340 or email us at hsp@humanitatianservice.org.