Friday, July 29, 2011

HSP Goes Green



This summer, co-founder of HSP Floyd Kettering and intern Naveed Shah have been researching more enviornmentally-friendly technologies for HSP's facilities.

With HSP's future goal of expanding its warehouse by 5,000 square feet in the back of their heads, Floyd and Naveed decided it was time to power our growing facility with cleaner energy. The installation of a wind turbine will allow us to expand on our primary goal of giving back to our community. It will give us the opportunity to give back to our enviornment.


With our plan for installing a wind turbine laid out in front of us, Naveed has been working on all of the logistics to get the project started. After getting our site evaluated to see how much energy we consume on a day-to-day basis, Naveed will be working with the Carol Stream City Hall to see about construction permits for the wind turbine. In addition to this, Naveed and Floyd are looking into grants from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, which will help HSP with funding for both the installation of the turbine and site evaluation.


These exciting first steps are just the beginning to the project, but the finished product will not only reduce costs and set new priorities, but will hopefully inspire other organizations to take initiative on a matter that is growing in importance every day.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Keeping Up With Our Interns

Today at HSP we have five out of our seven interns in the office! Our interns have all been working very hard lately and we would like to take this opportunity in our blog to keep you updated with what they are up to.

Michelle who has been with us since late May has been working on the senior referrals for things such as hearing aids and glasses. She has also been working on sending out thank yous to our senior sponsors, and updating our Senior Citizen Project waiting list. We will miss Michelle because unfortunately next week is her last week here.

Alaina, who has also been with us since late May, has been making display boards for our speaker team and updating the display boards in the warehouse. Alaina, sadly, is wrapping up her projects because today is her last day here at HSP.

Mo is helping us out with contacting libraries to find out if we can set up display boards and brochures in their locations, later today she will also help out by sorting school supplies that have been donated to us.

Dan, who has been at HSP since mid June has been working on some of our manuals. He will also be helping Mo in the warehouse today sorting school supply donations.

Andrew has been making and designing a manual for our website. This is very important because other interns will need to know how to navigate through the website in the future.

HSP’s two other interns Lauren, and Naveed, have also been working hard and we would like to thank all our interns for their dedication!

Another Storm Passes Through

Many of the employees and interns here at HSP experienced the intense storm at its fullest last night and it was truly severe summer weather. The combination of scorching temperatures, forceful winds, thunder and lightening left trees down and power out this morning from the thunderstorms.

Sharon, HSP’s Administrative Assistant, has been without power since late last night and some of us at HSP had to drive to work through traffic lights that were out. We hope the weather clears up soon and we can bring back the relaxing summer sun!

Everyone here at HSP hopes that no one had too much damage from the storm and was able to be some where safe. As a precaution, HSP suggests that you stay tuned to local weather reports when the weather looks compromising and be sure to keep flashlights handy incase the power ever goes out.

HSP wishes everyone safe being in this crazy summer weather!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Long Time Volunteer Shares Importance of HSP

Volunteer Lisa Swan has helped and supported HSP for many years. Lisa shared with HSP an article from this month's Parents Magazine called Hungry House.

The article is about childhood hunger and it details how it is a growing trend. According to the article, impoverished families tend to buy more junk food because it’s cheaper. “Junk food can cost an average of $3.32 per 1,000 calories compared with a whopping $27.20 per 1,000 calories for nutritious foods.”

Hunger House shares some truly alarming statistics on how childhood hunger is becoming a bigger problem every year. According to the article “more than 50 million Americans worry about having enough to eat, a number that has climbed nearly 40 percent since the start of the recession in 2007.”

These figures are invaluable to HSP. It lets our patrons and volunteers know how important the Feed the Kids Project and Children’s Birthday Project are. Parent’s Magazine’s article stated that “once a child becomes malnourished, she needs 50 percent more quality nutrition than a typical child does to regain her health.” Both Feed the Kids and Children’s Birthday Project help make such a difference in the lives of needy families.

Lisa also provided a great quote about her involvement in the Children’s Birthday Project that is on our new display board and can be seen in the picture.

Thank you Lisa for all that you do!!


To read the full article:


http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/hunger-american-children/?page=1

If you have come across an article of interest please let us know at:

Humanitarian Service Project

465 Randy Rd

Carol Stream, IL 60188

Tel #:(630)221-8340

Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A Special Donation from an Amazing Kid

Today we had a visit from a young girl who decided to donate one of her birthday presents to our Children’s Birthday Project! Sophia and her mom Krista stopped by our office to drop off the game “Guess Who” that will go into a birthday box for one of the kids in our program.

Although Sophia is only 6 years old, she already understands how great it is to give back to the community. Everyone here at HSP thinks that she did a wonderful thing by donating one of her birthday toys for a child in need.

The Children’s Birthday Project helps 700 impoverished kids in the local area. Each kid receives a Party-in-a-Box which includes 6 to 15 new toys, books, and more. Sophia’s donation will help make another child’s birthday very special when they open their box to find a fun, brand new toy.

Thank you Sophia for your wonderful donation!

If you would like to donate to us, please stop by our office at:
Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Rd
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel #:(630)221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

A Great Donation from Great People

Yesterday, HSP was happy to receive some wonderful donations to our Summer School Supply Drive from loyal volunteers Gail Hudgins and Tish Jensen! They kindly contributed to our drive by bringing in 15 bags of school supplies for all the needy children in our program.

This donation of school supplies is very important because of how necessary school supplies are to the children in our program. Without school supplies, children tend to fall behind in class and cannot work to their full potential.

With big help from Gail and Tish, more children will be going to school prepared and ready to learn when going back to school in a few short weeks. If you are interested in donating school supplies to HSP, the following supplies are still needed:

-Crayons -Black/Blue/Red Pens

-Folders -Colored Pencils

-Rulers -Highlighters

-Loose-Leaf Paper -College-Ruled Notebooks

-Wide-Ruled Notebooks -Calculators

-Pencils -Glue Sticks

-Scissors -Magic Markers

-Erasers

Thank you Gail and Tish for all your hard-work and generosity!

Donations are accepted at our office Mon-Fri 9am-5pm

Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Rd
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel #: (630)221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Monday, July 25, 2011

A Million Thanks to OCC!

Friday, Option Clearing Company (OCC) generously donated $6,000 to HSP! This is not OCC’s first amazing donation to us; not to long ago they donated $12,000, all of which went towards our Senior Citizen Project!

The employees of OCC held events including a Jeans Day Program, raffles, and Wii Bowling Tournaments to raise the money for HSP. We could not be more grateful for all the hard-work and effort they put into supporting HSP.

Thirteen associates and interns from OCC also came into our office on Friday July 22nd to help get boxes ready for our Senior Delivery Day on Saturday July 23rd. Options Clearing Corporation is the world’s largest equity derivatives clearing organization and is dedicated to promoting stability and financial integrity in the marketplaces that it serves by focusing on sound risk management principles. Their company also selected HSP at their “Charity of the Year.”

The donation will be used to fund monthly deliveries of 90 lbs. of groceries including fresh fruits and vegetables, a variety of frozen meats, personal care items and paper products to each of the 120 senior citizens in the charity’s Senior Citizens Project. The seniors also receive a monthly “Secret Pal” gift and Holiday Meal.

HSP is so grateful to have such great supporters and we look forward to working with OCC in the future!

A Great Delivery Day!

This past Saturday HSP had our July Delivery Day for our seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. The day started out a little rainy but once the crew was able to set up the tents the rain cleared and we had a beautiful day to deliver food to the needy seniors in the program!

All our wonderful volunteers showed up to help out HSP, there were even some furry friends that came along for the ride and everyone here enjoyed seeing all the dogs that stopped by. Two of our volunteers were even kind enough to help on the weekend of their birthdays!

We would like to thank all our hard-working volunteers, without you we would not be able to help the 120 impoverished senior citizens in our program that received fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meat, bread, and gifts given to them by “Secret Pals” this past Saturday.

If you are interested in helping out HSP, please contact us:

Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Rd
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel #: (630)221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Friday, July 22, 2011

A Pair Who Cares Brought In Hundreds of Bears

Earlier this morning, Kari Shmitz and her husband Tad from Bears Who Care arrived with boxes filled with 200 Disney Bears and 200 books. The donation will be put toward our Children’s Birthday Project.

Bears Who Care is a charitable organization that supports children between ages 1 through 12 who have been affected by an illness, injury, disaster or financial hardship. Their goal is to promote reading among children and their parents, especially for those young children who have not yet learned to read. They also try to bring comfort to children when they need it most — whether they are ill, injured or facing other challenges.

Donors like Bears Who Care donate new toys and books for us to send to children on their birthdays. Volunteers select toys and books for a specific child. Other volunteers then carefully wrap each gift with bright paper and colorful ribbons and bows. Last, we box up the presents, ready for the Birthday Boy or Girl.

Our goal with the Children’s Birthday Project is to create wonderful memories to last a lifetime, and we thank Bears Who Care for helping us reach that goal!

If you would like to donate to our Children’s Birthday Project, you can stop by our office or send a yearly sponsorship of $54 to sponsor a child to:

Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL, 60188
Tel #: (630)-221-8340
E-mail: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Donations are accepted Monday through Friday 9am-5pm

Video Tour Production Underway!

Yesterday, our good friend and volunteer Cory Lusk stopped by our offices here in Carol Stream to begin filming a video tour of our facilities. The video will be a four to five minute long presentation that gives the viewer a behind-the-scenes look at our day-to-day operations. Michelle Flinn, one of our interns here at HSP, created the script for the video and worked with Cory throughout the day as he filmed.

Cory is a student at College of Dupage looking to major in film. He aspires to become a filmmaker after graduation and isn't waiting until graduation day to start. Cory is an avid user and contributor to Youtube, where he has his own channel of videos that he's made himself.

Cory will be back next Wednesday to capture the workings of the Feed the Kids Project on film. We really appreciate Cory's help and we can't wait to see the finished product. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!






Thursday, July 21, 2011

What a Great Speaking Event!

Yesterday HSP’s very own Administrative Assistant, Sharon, went to the Universal Utilitarian Church of Naperville to speak about all the different and wonderful projects we do here at HSP! The Universal Utilitarian Church of Naperville has been supporters of the HSP since 2002 and at the speaking event they showed us what generous contributors to our project they plan to continue to be.

At the meeting, these dedicated supporters decided to sponsor a child in our Children’s Birthday Project and donate 2 cases of School Supplies for our School Supplies Drive! Once these great philanthropists heard that we are very low on school supplies for our needy children, they also decided to work their hardest in providing HSP with even more school supplies as soon as possible.

The Universal Utilitarian Church of Naperville has helped out HSP in the past in many ways including donating school supplies, hosting food drives, helping with the Party-in-a-Box, and gift wrapping. Everyone here at HSP is very grateful for all the support we receive from the Universal Utilitarian Church of Naperville!

If you are looking to support the Humanitarian Service Project contact us at:
Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Rd
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel # (630)221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

URGENT: School Supplies Needed!

HSP and the needy families of the DuPage and Kane counties are desperately in need of school supplies! School supplies are a definite necessity for all students that will be going back to school within the upcoming weeks and it is HSP’s mission to provide school supplies to those families that cannot afford them.

With your help, we can help provide the needy children and families in DuPage and Kane County with school supplies so that they can go to school with the essential tools to succeed. Without these school supplies many children go to school unable to fully participate and reach their full potential.

ANY DONATION HELPS! If you are able to donate please refer to the list below of school supplies that are still needed:

-Crayons
-Black/Blue/Red Pens
-Folders
-Colored Pencils
-Rulers
-Highlighters
-Loose-Leaf Paper
-College-Ruled Notebooks
-Wide-Ruled Notebooks
-Calculators
-Pencils
-Glue Sticks
-Scissors
-Magic Markers
-Erasers

Donations are accepted Monday-Friday from 9a.m-5p.m. at

Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Rd
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel #: (630)221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Thank you for your support!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

A Special Visitor Spends the Day at HSP!

As all of us have been battling with this week’s heat wave, so have some of our four-legged friends! Yesterday, Sharon, our Administrative Assistant, brought a special visitor to HSP – her incredibly sweet dog, Beeju. In the middle of the day, the power in her home went out, which also cut off the air conditioning, leaving poor Beeju alone in the stifling heat. Once our Executive Director, Karole, heard about this, she told Sharon to go straight home, pick up Beeju, and bring him to HSP for the day.

Beeju melted the hearts of everyone here at HSP with his adorable puppy dog eyes and his playful and loving attitude. He is a 3 and half year old Teddy Bear, which Sharon calls a fabulous mix of the best three breeds – Poodle, Bishon Freese, and Shitzu. Beeju was so curious about all the activity in the office and made the interns feel extremely loved.

Fortunately, the power in Sharon’s home has been switched back on and her Beeju is able to stay cool and safe at home today, though we do miss having our furry friend around here!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Vote for HSP!

HSP has been nominated for Triblocal.com’s Charity of Choice Contest! A charity that is nominated must have a significant impact on the Chicagoland area and make a difference in their community. Everyone here at HSP is very proud that we have been nominated and can’t wait to include you all on our journey to win this contest!

HSP’s supporters can begin voting on July 28th on Triblocal.com! The Charity with the most votes wins $500. To vote for HSP you can go online to triblocal.com, create an account and then place your vote for Humanitarian Service Project! Be sure to vote by August 14th.

We would like to ask all of our supporters to forward this to their contacts to make it possible for HSP to get a large multitude of voters! At HSP we would graciously use the money to support our needy children, seniors, and families in our program if we were to be the winners of this contest.

Thank you for your continued support of HSP!

Time to Cool Off

Everyone here at HSP agrees that the scorching temperatures and humidity have been a huge concern for our seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. With temperatures in the 90s for many days, Seniors may be finding the weather too hot to handle without air conditioning.

HSP is trying to relieve some of this discomfort by calling our seniors in the programs and directing them to cooling sites across the county. In addition to directing seniors to cooling sites, HSP has also purchased fans for our seniors in the case that they are unable to get to a cooling site and the heat is causing them additional distress.

If you find yourself in need of a place to get cool, please contact us at HSP and we can give you a phone number and direct you to a cooling site near you. Remember to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, stay out of the sun and if it is necessary to be outdoors be sure to wear a hat and continue to put on sunscreen.

Please contact us at:
Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Rd
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel # (630)221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Monday, July 18, 2011

Helping Make Children’s Birthdays Special

On Thursday July 14th, HSP had a wonderful donation by All Occasions brought to our office! All Occasions is located at 1231 E. Butterfield Rd in Wheaton and their goal as a business is to provide party supplies and beautiful balloon decorations for people looking to make their events memorable.

HSP was granted with 2 cases of wrapping paper, 28 sets of party hats, 1 large case of thousands of party toy stuffers, and 100 pencils that will go towards are Children’s Birthday Project. These great gifts will be used to help brighten the days of the children in our project on their most special day- their Birthday!

HSP is very grateful to have such generous supporters of our mission and we look forward to continue working with All Occasions!

If you are interested in donating to HSP feel free to stop by our office at:
Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Rd
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel # (630)221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Donations are accepted Mon-Fri from
9-5

Help Make a Wish Come True

Do you have a gently used couch that you would like to donate?

Do you want to help make someone’s wish come true?

The HSP is looking for donations for our Senior Citizen Project. The Senior Citizen Project helps the impoverished seniors in the DuPage and Kane County area by distributing groceries including 7 varieties of fresh fruits, 8 varieties of fresh vegetables, 5 selections of frozen meats, 2 bags of paper products and personal care items and 5 bags of non-perishable foods every month. Not only does the Senior Citizen Project deliver groceries, they keep track of larger or more expensive items that the seniors need to make their daily lives easier and more pleasant. These items range from computers to furniture to small appliances.

Last week, a very generous volunteer donated a couch and a loveseat to the Senior Citizen Project. Weeks prior he had donated a full mattress and bed frame. Not only did he donate these items, but he delivered them directly to our seniors. Shirley was one of the needy seniors who received our couch. She had informed HSP that she was looking for a couch to sleep on, as her current couch was hurting her back and uncomfortable. When the couch was delivered to her home, she was extremely overjoyed. She loved the couch as soon as she saw it and can’t thank HSP and our volunteer enough.

There are still many items that would help a senior’s wish come true. These items include:
-Air Conditioner -Dresser -Ironing Board
-Computer Monitor -Fan -Silverware
-Glider Chair/Recliner -Food Processer -Toaster
-Coffee Maker -Vacuum

If you would like to donate any of these items or would like more information, please contact:

Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL 60188

Email:
hsp@humanitarianservice.org
Tel #: (630)221-8340

Donations are accepted Monday through Friday from 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

Helpful information would include the dimensions, age, and condition of the items.

Friday, July 15, 2011

An Easier Way to Access HSP!

Yesterday, HSP was excited to present a new and exciting way for people to learn more about us! As you know, we like to keep all our supporters and volunteers updated through our blog, facebook, newsletters, along with many other modes of networking, and our new addition is no exception.

HSP would like to introduce our very own QR code! QR codes are essentially a barcode that can be scanned by smartphones that further your exploration of products. For HSP, we have a QR code that links to our website.

For example, someone looking to learn more about HSP would be able to scan the QR code on our inserts, display boards, or anywhere else they may find them, and they will then be transported to our website on their smartphone to learn more about us or even be able to donate!

Try it out on your smartphone by capturing this image from the blog and let us know what you think.

We could not be more excited about our advance with technology and we hope that everyone finds this a fun and easy way to access our website!


Thursday, July 14, 2011

HSP Volunteers Called “Angels”

A sweet story shared by one of our volunteers highlights the appreciativeness of our seniors. Hazel Dometita, a volunteer at HSP who participates in delivering both groceries and monthly meals to our seniors, recently had brought groceries to one of our seniors, Tom. He said to Hazel that she was his “angel” and had been waiting for her to come, later giving her a “good luck” angel coin. Hazel was touched by his words. She said, “I thought it was very sweet of him. It made my day :).”

Currently we are recruiting volunteers for both our Senior Delivery Day on July 23rd, and volunteers to deliver meals to one of our remaining 23 seniors who would like to enjoy a tasty meal!


On our Senior Delivery Day each month, our wonderful drivers do a great job of delivering food, Secret Pal gifts, personal care items, and household supplies to the senior citizens we support through the Senior Citizen Project. On July 23rd, delivery drivers will come to HSP in Carol Stream and a team of volunteer loaders will fill their vehicles, give them maps, and explain what the seniors are receiving. Then, the drivers will go off to deliver the groceries to the homes of our seniors. Many of the drivers have established warm relationships with the seniors on their routes and look forward to delivery day as a chance to visit with them. The seniors look forward to the company, too!

We are still in need of delivery drivers for seniors in the following routes:

2 seniors in Bensenville
1 senior in Lisle, 1 senior in Naperville
2 seniors in Carol Stream
2 seniors in Aurora
2 seniors in Bensenville
2 seniors in Carol Stream
2 seniors in Carol Stream

Our Monthly Meal Volunteers kindly donate their time and effort to provide a meal for one of our needy seniors each month. These meals mean so much to the impoverished seniors who rarely are given the opportunity to enjoy such delicious meals. The seniors are able to pick from three options available to them which are suggested by the volunteer. The meals can be either homemade or purchased through a store or takeout restaurant. Meals can be prepared and delivered at any time during the month.


We have listed below the names and locations of our 23 seniors still in need of meals for the month of July:

Bensenville- Dorothy B.
Carol Stream- Robert, Mary P., Elise, Ann
Downers Grove- Marie S., Mary Ellen
Glen Ellyn- Francilla & Ed
Glendale Heights- Sally R.
Lombard- Georgia P.
Villa Park- Mary Jo & Shirley
Warrenville- Lucille B.
Westmont- Mae & Rose M.
Wheaton- Icorene, Luada, Wilma, Beatrice, Maria, and Bertha
Woodridge- Ethel


If you would like to participate in either our Senior Delivery Day Pickup or our Monthly Meals program please contact us by phone: (630) 221-8340 or by email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org. If we have not worked with you before, we will need the names and phone numbers of 2 professional references.

Why School Supplies are Essential to a Student’s Success

It’s already July and school is right around the corner. With a month left till classes start HSP has started their annual School Supply Drive. We have already gotten a few donations, but more supplies are needed to help students in the area succeed in school.

Stacey Kaspryzyk is a long time volunteer at HSP. She has helped with Party-In-A-Box kits for the Children’s Birthday Project as a member of St. Jane de Chantal. She is also a high school science teacher in a Title l school. She has seen firsthand how important school supplies are to a student’s success in school.

“During my first year of teaching, I was shocked and dismayed by the number of students that did not have school supplies. After hearing excuse after excuse from students as to why they didn’t have supplies, I realized that many of them simply could either not afford them or were in situations where caregivers did not make school supplies a priority. During my second year, I made the decision to supply every student with a binder, a spiral notebook, and something to write with.”

Stacey got a response from the students that was overwhelming and had students wondering why a complete stranger would spend their own money to purchase school supplies for them out of their own pocket. Stacey’s answer was simple: “I expect each of my students to be successful. I cannot ask them to meet my high expectations without the tools that are needed to succeed: school supplies.”

The response Stacey saw that year was different than the previous year. The student’s marks and grades were higher. Stacey also noticed there was a difference in the student’s attitude levels and confidence levels, just from receiving school supplies!

Stacey let the students know that she cares about their education and expects them to succeed in school by supplying them with the proper supplies. Here at HSP, we want the same thing for all the students in the area. For them to excel in school, they need the proper school supplies. To do this, we need more donations to help the students. Please donate school supplies by the end of July so we can begin distributing them in the beginning of August. We all want to see every student be successful, and it’s as easy as making a donation of school supplies.

Stacey finished by saying: “What I initially considered a small act, turned out to be a huge impact and the payoff was immeasurable.”

If you would like more information or are interested in making a donation, please contact:

Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL 60188

Email:
hsp@humanitarianservice.org
Tel #: (630)221-8340

Donations are accepted Monday through Friday from 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Illinois Natural Pageant Donates School Supplies



With school right around the corner, HSP has started the school supply drive. They received their SECOND donation of school supplies from Illinois Natural Pageants and hope for many more donations to come.

Illinois Natural Pageants brought in two full boxes of school supplies yesterday that included:

-65 boxes of crayons
-15 glues sticks
-40 spiral notebooks
-12 boxes of colored pencils
-12 boxes of regular #2 pencils

All of these school supplies will help needy kids in the DuPage and Kane county area to succeed in school.

Illinois Natural Pageants encourages kids helping kids. They encourage the kids to collect donations to help a charity according to their website.

Thank You Illinois Natural Pageants.


If you would like to donate school supplies please contact the HSP at:
Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org
Tel #: (630)221-8340Donations are accepted Mon-Friday from 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

HSP INTERNS: ALAINA AND MICHELLE

Michelle and Alaina have been interning at HSP for the past 8 weeks and have thoroughly enjoyed their experience thus far.

Michelle is a senior at University of Notre Dame majoring in Spanish and sociology. Her Spanish speaking skills are greatly appreciated and have helped HSP better communicate with Spanish speaking families. Her favorite part of working here is being able to communicate with the clients directly and being able to see the positive impact of what HSP does on a daily basis. Michelle’s duties include referring low-income seniors to programs providing essential healthcare equipment such as eyeglasses, wheel chairs, and hearing aids at little to no cost. Her work at HSP has helped her realize how small acts can have a great impact on the community.

Alaina is a junior at University of Iowa studying journalism and mass communication. Fittingly, her work here has been focused on the public relations aspect of HSP; she writes press releases and creates displays for presentations that highlight HSP programs and fundraising goals. Her favorite part of working at HSP has been getting to know everyone, from staff, fellow interns, to the people HSP serves. Alaina’s best moments at HSP are when she sees how what we do positively affects the families.

HSP would not be able to function without the assistance of its talented student interns who volunteer their services.

If you are interested in helping out HSP by being an intern please contact us to set up an interview at:

Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL 60188

Tel. (630) 221-8340

Laundry Detergent Needed!

HSP is seeking laundry detergent for our Senior Citizen Project. 37 bottles/boxes are needed by Friday, July 22nd to ensure that every senior receives one in their upcoming delivery. If you are interested in donating, please feel free to stop by our office anytime Monday-Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm. HSP is grateful for any donation and we thank you for you contribution!

The goal of the Senior Citizen Project is to help eliminate the persistence of pain, despair, fear, worry, suffering, and humiliation that the cycle of poverty brings to DuPage and Kane's seniors. We do this by ensuring that the basic needs of these seniors are met—this includes delivering food, paper products, cleaning products, and personal hygiene products. All of this is made possible by generous donations!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Thank You Charity Navigator!

HSP has recently heard from Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator, about our achievement of receiving their coveted 4-star rating for sound fiscal management within a charity!

This is the 7th consecutive year that HSP has received Charity Navigator’s 4-star rating which is only received by 3% of the charities they rate. Quoted in our letter from Charity Navigator they said, “Humanitarian Service Project consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way and outperforms most other charities in America.”

Charity Navigator is a great way to show potential donors how accountable and reliable charities are. Charity Navigator helps by highlighting the fine work of efficient charities and providing donors with essential information needed to give them greater confidence in the charitable choices they make.

Everyone here at HSP would like to thank Charity Navigator for their support in our organization!

If you are interested in learning more about Charity Navigator please visit: www.charitynavigator.org

Helping Hands at HSP

Today, on this stormy Monday morning, HSP was lucky to still be visited by our usual group of volunteers! Although the weather this morning was quite severe, our great group of food sorters were still able to come lend a helping hand for our seniors in The Senior Citizen Project.

These hard-workers are with us every Monday from 9a.m.-noon and they are helping us out by preparing the meat bags for our next senior delivery day on July 23rd. We are so thankful to have such generous volunteers help accomplish our mission of providing the needy seniors in DuPage and Kane counties with 90lbs of fresh, wholesome and nutritious food every month!

HSP whole-heartedly thanks our steadfast Monday volunteers and looks forward to working with them for the Mondays still to come, thank you for all your hard-work!

If you are interested in volunteering at HSP please call us at (630)221-8340, email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org, or stop by our office at:
Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Rd
Carol Stream, IL 60188

Friday, July 8, 2011

Welcome Back Christine!


We are here today to give special thanks to long time volunteer Christine Potthoff! With her loving personality, her illuminating smile, and her chipper attitude it has been a pleasure having her work with the HSP team for more than 20 years!

Chirstine was a former member of the Speaker Team in HSP, and we are happy to announce that she is back and better than ever. She recently called us to tell us that she would like to speak to our patron organizations. Christine actually went with Paul, our Community Outreach Coordinator, to the Rotary Club in Lombard yesterday for a luncheon. She did an amazing job sharing her passion for all the great works HSP has done for the community.

Christine dates back all the way to the times when HSP was still organizing food drives in Floyd and Carole’s home driveway, the founders of HSP. She has been doing tremendous work with us ever since, and she even volunteered at Rib Fest last Saturday in Naperville with the HSP team. When she’s not volunteering for HSP though she owns her very own travel agency called travel beCAUSE. Her agency is unique because it donates a portion of their profits to charities. Talk about a giving person! You can contact her by calling her at 630-448-0720 or email at Christine@travelbecause.org.

All of us here at HSP are so grateful for having Christine Potthoff here to help us, and we are even more thrilled to have her rejoin our Speaker Team. She and her family have been great friends of the HSP for decades and we look forward to seeing her wonderful smile for many more.

Thanks again Christine!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

HSP in Need of Pre-Teen Toys

HSP is looking for donations for toys that are suitable and age appropriate for the older kids in our Children’s Birthday Project. We are especially in need of pre-teen electronic toys for both boys and girls.

This project reaches out to children ages 3 to 12 who live in poverty in DuPage and Kane Counties. Our goal is to create wonderful memories to last a lifetime. We place very special and unforgettable birthday packages in children’s hands on their most special day — their birthdays! This year we will provide Birthday Boxes to 700 needy children.

Donations of electronic toys for girls and boys from about 10-12 years of age are greatly appreciated and help us provide these deserving children with presents to open on their birthdays. If you are interested in donating or helping HSP please feel free to stop by our office anytime Monday-Friday from 9:00am-5:00pm.

We are located at:
Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Tel #: (630)221-8340
Email: hsp@humanitarianservice.org

School Supplies Needed!

One of the many projects that HSP is focusing on this summer is our School Supply Drive! The School Supply Drive is an important project that helps provide children with the essential supplies needed to succeed in school, without these school supplies many children go to school unable to fully participate and reach their full potential.

These families that cannot afford school supplies are often the students that when asked do not have crayons to color with, they often go without Halloween costumes and do not have Valentines Day cards to pass out to other students, they are also often the students that do not turn in their school project on time because they do not have the necessary supplies in order to get it done.

You can help reduce the number of impoverished children in DuPage and Kane counties that start school unprepared and without school supplies by donating to HSP’s School Supply Drive. The following supplies are in high demand for our project:

-Crayons -Black/Blue/Red Pens

-Folders -Colored Pencils

-Rulers -Highlighters

-Loose-Leaf Paper -College-Ruled Notebooks

-Wide-Ruled Notebooks -Calculators

-Pencils -Glue Sticks

-Scissors -Magic Markers

-Erasers

Donations are accepted Mon-Friday from 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m. at our office:

Humanitarian Service Project
465 Randy Road
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Email:hsp@humanitarianservice.org
Tel #: (630)221-8340

HSP is grateful for any donation and we thank you for you contribution!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Two Down, One to Go!



Whew! What a busy day at HSP! Today is the second month of our summer-long Feed the Kids program that helps to alleviate the struggle of hunger, by helping to provide healthy, nutritious food for children in our program. HSP is successfully providing 100 needy families with 250 pounds of non-perishable food from fresh fruits and vegetables to an assortment of non-perishable goods and plenty of frozen meats and bread!

This program is so important to the families who look to HSP for help. Many of the parents in our program are worried that they could not provide food for their families, often going hungry themselves in order to feed their children, “I will always make sure my kids eat, kids come first.”

Because the school year has ended so many of the families who have depended on free breakfasts and lunches at school are now faced with the problem of having to provide additional meals for their children, “With the kids home for summer I am going through double the amount of food so this program is a blessing.”

Luckily, thanks to numerous volunteers and donations, HSP has been able to support some of these families going through poverty. One member in Feed the Kids said of the program, “This has been a blessing. I feel very lucky in an unlucky spot.”

If you would like to become involved in the Feed the Kids program, please call us: (630) 221-8340, email us: hsp@humanitarianservice.org, or visit our website: www.humanitarianservice.org for more information.

Feed the Kids July Pick-up Day

Today is our July Feed the Kids pick-up day! We have a great group of volunteers working with us this morning and we would not be able to make this day a success without them. They are already working hard and with temperatures in the mid-80s today, we have made sure there is enough water to keep everyone well-hydrated.

A number of families have already come to pick up their food this morning. Each family will receive about 250 pounds of non-perishables, fruits, vegetables, frozen meats, and bread. By the end of the summer, 100 families will have received a total of 750 pounds of food each through Feed the Kids.


The volunteers this morning are full of energy and are happy that their efforts today will be helping the disadvantaged families of the community. Rachel Wincenciak, who has been volunteering at HSP over the past 5 years said, "No matter what your job is, you know you're contributing to something greater because in the big picture, you're helping out a lot of people. It is more than worth it to spend a couple of hours out here."

Not only do we greatly appreciate the work our volunteers are doing today, but we are also so thankful for all of the volunteers who have contributed their time over the past month in preparation for today.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

A Hot and Exciting Day at Ribfest!

This past Saturday, July 2nd, HSP had a great time at the Naperville Ribfest volunteering! The HSP crew came out in droves with more than 25 volunteers to lend a helping hand to our staff to help out the Naperville Exchange Club, who puts on the Ribfest each year. We had two shifts of volunteers, one was from 11a.m-5p.m. and the other was from 4p.m-10p.m. Our volunteers worked at both the gates and the beverage tents.

Ribfest had some great events planned for the evening including performances by The Waterdawgs, Dreams, Mass Chemistry, 7th Heaven, and even STYX! Ribfest was held at the Naperville Knoch Park and went from July 1st-4th, and each day more than 50,000 attendees were expected. there were also fireworks planned for the Fourth of July!

HSP is very grateful to have such dedicated volunteers giving their time to help out at the Naperville Ribfest. It was a very hot day out and the volunteers were able to do fantastic work in assisting HSP and the Naperville Exchange Club. The proceeds from the Ribfest totaled more thatn $800,000 in 2010 and were distributed to dozens of area non-profits. The Exchange Club’s donation to the HSP funded more thatn 20% of our summertime Feed The Kids Program! We are so thankful to have their support. Everyone here at HSP is looking forward to next year and we hope to have another great group helping us out in the future.

Thanks for all your hard-work!