Friday, May 30, 2014

Feeding the Kids through the Summer!

Here at the Humanitarian Service Project, we are less than two weeks away from our first distribution for Feed the Kids for this year! It is an exciting and busy time and we are looking for volunteers to come out and help us in helping the lives of others in the DuPage and Kane counties. On June 11th, from 9:30 A.M. to 6:30 P.M., 100 needy families will be coming to HSP to pick up around 175 lbs of nutritious groceries including fresh produce, bread, meat, and non-perishables. Volunteers are needed to help load the cars on that day. We have a special need for volunteers to help with the second shift of the day, from 1:00 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. Please come out and join us!

            Feed the Kids is a program run by HSP to support needy families during the months of June, July, and August. The children of the families served by Feed the Kids depend on federally subsidized school meals during the school year. Feed the Kids takes a great burden off of these families during months when the kids are out of school and cannot receive these meals. If you would like to help, please feel free to call HSP at 630-221-8340. Together, we can make the community a better place! 

Thursday, May 29, 2014

First-Time Volunteers Work Wonders

Contents of a typical "Feed the Kids" box.

Volunteerism is a big part of the day-to-day here at HSP. This is something a group of 16 students and their teachers from the Islamic Foundation School of Villa Park learned when they came to the facility earlier today. During their visit, these volunteers dedicated two and a half hours of their time to creating and packaging 100 boxes of non-perishable food for our Feed the Kids program. They also spent some time sorting food donated through Stamp Out Hunger on May 10.
A first-time visitor of HSP, the school granted today as a service day so that students could engage in helping their local community. We are honored to have been the place of choice for these young people, and hope to see many of them volunteering with us again.
HSP would further like to thank these volunteers for their incredibly hard work. Not only did they show dedication to the process, but also managed to have fun and complete tasks with much motivation and high spirits. It is this kind of enthusiasm that keeps us doing what we do.
With our first Feed the Kids distribution of 2014 coming up quick (June 11), any and every amount of help is greatly appreciated. If you, or anyone you know, would be interested in helping us prepare for our largest summer program, please call us at 630-221-8340 to schedule a visit.


Feed the Kids was created in 2004 to annually help children of low-income families receive proper nutrition during June, July and August. During this time, HSP gives roughly 175 pounds of groceries to over 375 children from 100 families.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Pleasantdale Gives Back

The 100 boxes of non-perishables sorted by
 the Pleasantdale volunteers
            With our Feed the Kids program just around the corner, we at HSP are grateful that so many volunteers have generously given their time to help us serve those in need. Today we had the pleasure of working with Kay Lewellyan and her students from Pleasantdale Middle School, who helped us by sorting non-perishables for needy families served by the program.  

            For almost 18 years, HSP has received support from Pleasantdale’s students. They regularly volunteer to help us serve needy families through both Feed the Kids as well as the Christmas Offering in December. Today a group of students along with their teachers spent the morning in the warehouse sorting non-perishable food for families.

            Our first Feed the Kids distribution this year will take place on June 11th. Families signed up for the program will stop by during the day to collect a month worth of groceries. In total, HSP provides approximately 175 pounds of groceries to over 375 children. The food sorted by the Pleasantdale students will help those families receive the nutrition they need during the summer.  
           

            If you would like to donate or organize a group to volunteer at HSP, please contact us at 630-221-8340. 

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Welcome to HSP's Newest Intern

            Today at HSP, we welcome our newest intern, Laura LoVetere, to the team! Laura is home for the summer and will be a junior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign next fall. She is has a double major in French and Communications and has a minor in German. During this summer, she’ll be at home in Lombard, IL.
            One of Laura’s favorite things to do is travel, as reflected in her areas of study! She has been to Mexico, Canada, Germany, and Italy. Next year, she will be studying abroad in Paris. Accompanying Laura’s wanderlust is a strong sense of service. Since high school, she has volunteered in numerous organizations. In high school, she was a Key Club member. Now in college, she is an active member of the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. Laura believes it is more valuable to give time over money in service. After graduation, she would love to work in marketing or management, hopefully at an international company that would allow her to travel a lot.
            Here at HSP, Laura hopes to gain a better understanding of the working world while helping people at the same time. She loves volunteering and is glad to have an opportunity to work at a place that combines her favorite things. During her time here, Laura will be working with Bridget Dooley, our Administrative Assistant. They will be working on many different projects, one of which is coordinating with the families in Children’s Birthday Project and Feed the Kids. Outside of work, Laura loves to play tennis and read.
            Please help us welcome Laura to HSP. We are looking forward to a great summer!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Farewell to Interns!

Today, we say good bye to several more interns, all of whom have helped HSP immensely through their hard work and dedication. Like every parting, it’s always a difficult thing to say farewell to someone who has been a part of the HSP family for some time and our leaving interns will be sorely missed.

            Chase Miller was an intern who worked with Floyd, HSP’s co-founder and CFO in accounting. Chase began as an intern in late January and contributed in a number of different ways at HSP, including even training our new accounting intern, Meridyth, for a week. We would like to thank Chase for all his help and wish him the very best for his future.

            Melinda Hernandez has also been with HSP since January and she had a hand in a number of different projects. Melinda lent her skills both as a writer and an artist assisting HSP on the newsletter and other publications. She also spent time interviewing the needy seniors we serve and writing updates about them. She will be graduating from Elmhurst College and we wish Melinda a bright future in whatever direction she takes her talents to.

            Last but not least, we would like to thank Bridget Everson, who assisted Bridget Dooley at the front desk. Bridget E. was a volunteer prior to joining HSP as an intern and in her time here, she spent the majority of it helping to facilitate the Children’s Birthday Project. Bridget is also the youngest intern that HSP has ever had, as she is graduating high school. We hope to hear good things from her college days ahead!

            Here at HSP, we would like to issue a final thanks to the interns who spent their time helping HSP make a difference in the community. Without their aid, it would have been immensely more difficult to do the things that we do. Thank you again and best of luck on your future!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

LexisNexis Lends A Hand

Volunteers from LexisNexis Lombard at HSP on Wednesday,
May 21.
Yesterday, HSP received a generous gift in the form of helping hands. A group of eight volunteers from our friends over at LexisNexis stopped by the facility and dedicated three hours of their time to sorting food for those needy seniors and families enrolled in our programs.
            A longtime supporter of HSP, the Lombard branch of LexisNexis provides its employees with  two days set aside so they can lend a hand to a local organization of their choice. We here at HSP are honored to have be one such place.
            We would also like to thank these volunteers for their charitable help as we plan for the busy months ahead. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed, and plays a pivotal role in leading to the smile that lights up the face of a child in need. That is why we do what we do. None of it could be achieved without individuals like those at LexisNexis, whose help was much appreciated; particularly as we continue preparing for our Feed the Kids program beginning in June.
            HSP’s Feed the Kids program was created to help children of low-income families receive proper nutrition during the summer months. During this time, HSP gives roughly 175 pounds of groceries to over 375 children from 100 families.
           If you or anyone you know is interested in helping prepare for the months ahead, do not hesitate to give us a call at 630-221-8340.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Local High School Gives Back

HSP's Executive Director, Kristin Maxwell (third from right),
with the National Honors Society officers.
Yesterday, on Tuesday, May 20, we here at HSP received a generous donation of $300 from some National Honors Society (NHS) students at the Community High School of West Chicago (WCCHS). The money was raised from a Mother’s Day Pancake Breakfast fundraiser on Saturday, May 10.

            Having volunteered at HSP back in December 2013 for our Christmas Offering, the students of the NHS chose to donate the money to us due to their experience of having helped needy seniors, children and families in the area.

            Everyone at HSP would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the students of WCCHS for their selfless donation, as well as for bringing a smile to the faces of many mothers and their families this past Mother’s Day. Your kindness will help those in need who HSP has served proudly since 1979. We could not do what we do without individuals like you all.

            HSP serves seniors, children and their families residing in DuPage and Kane counties. If you are interested in making a donation toward any of our programs, please give us a call at 630-221-8340 or come visit us at 465 Randy Road in Carol Stream, Ill.


Do your part and make a difference today!

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

HSP’s Two Newest Interns

HSP has recently acquired two new interns that have joined our team for this summer. These two talented, dedicated individuals will be working to help us provide great service to impoverished seniors and children in the area. We are proud to introduce them to you.

First up, we have 20-year-old Ashlee Melda who has traveled all the way from her home state of Virginia to join us. At age thirteen, she moved to her current home all the way from Bloomingdale, IL. Ashlee attends Radford University in Virginia and is majoring in public relations. She is currently living locally with her grandparents for the summer.
            What attracted Ashlee to our organization was her desire to work at a company that makes a difference. She expresses, that even over the phone, the staff at HSP seemed like a very inviting group of people. Ashlee hopes to obtain some serious real-word PR experiences during her time here at HSP. A second goal she wishes to achieve is to become more sociable and personable, and she feels that HSP will help her do that.
            In high school, Ashlee was involved with an art club that did twenty hours of community service. She participated in painting suitcases for needy children and washing cars to earn money for local nursing homes. Seeing a parallel between her volunteerism in high school and HSP’s focus on seniors and children helped her choose the internship opportunity at HSP.
            Outside of her volunteer work, Ashlee enjoys watching TV. Her current favorite show is Game of Thrones. She also spends her time working on fictional stories, and she considers herself a big animal lover. 

The second intern we would like to introduce is 20-year-old Bailey Hicks. She currently attends U of I and is majoring in English. Bailey is interested in working for a non-profit when she graduates, focusing her attention on youth or homeless people. We are happy to have Bailey with us, who makes a very long commute from her hometown of Mundelein in the north suburbs of Chicago.
            Bailey will be assisting Matt this summer with HSP’s grant writing needs. She says that during her previous volunteer experience she learned a little bit about grant writing, which sparked her interest. HSP’s mission additionally aligned with Bailey’s personal values, which further helped solidify her decision in choosing the internship at HSP.
            In addition to getting some good grant writing experience, Bailey hopes to have an overall meaningful experience at HSP, helping and meeting new people. At her college, she worked for an organization called C-U at Home assisting local homeless individuals. Bailey has also worked in a canteen run which provided impoverished people with clothes and food.
            Bailey enjoys watching movies and considers herself a movie buff. Her favorite film is Scarface with Al Pacino. She loves all kinds of music and has taken interest in older jazz tunes, recently listening to artists like Nina Simone. Bailey also enjoys going on bike rides—an activity she hopes to participate in a lot this summer.

            Please join us in welcoming Ashlee and Bailey to HSP!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Delivering Needed Food to Beloved Seniors

On Saturday, May 17, of this past weekend, HSP had its monthly Senior Delivery Day! One day each month, HSP volunteers prepare and deliver 100 pounds of groceries, a mixture of fresh fruit and vegetables, non-perishables, and frozen meat to the 123 beloved seniors in the Senior Citizen Project. These groceries will provide nutritional and great-tasting food that will last the entire month for seniors who would not otherwise be able to afford these groceries.


            HSP would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped to make this delivery day another success. We offer our gratitude to the individuals who helped to sort the fresh produce on Friday, responding to our call for volunteers on such short notice. We would also like to recognize the volunteers who helped by loading the cars and delivering the food to our seniors. This made the Saturday delivery a success as another fun day of delivering the food. We can’t do it without all of the help we receive from our past and present wonderful volunteers!

           HSP serves seniors in DuPage and Kane counties. If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering, please don’t hesitate to contact us at (630) 221-8340 or hsp@humanitarianservice.org

Friday, May 16, 2014

Schools Giving Helping Hands

Here at the Humanitarian Service Project, we’ve had the pleasure of receiving support from several young philanthropists from local schools in the past several days. We want to recognize there volunteers and supporters for all they’ve selflessly given for the sake of the needy members of our communities.
On Wednesday, our longtime friends at Hubble Middle School delivered the results of a food drive they conducted. The staff and students of the school generously collected enough food to fully fill the minivan used to transport it. With our monthly delivery to seniors being tomorrow, and our Feed the Kids program on the horizon, we are very grateful for this wonderful donation.
Joining in the fun yesterday, a group of students from Glenbard South volunteered to sort non-perishable food. Glenbard South has been a very consistent supporter of HSP and we are always grateful when they take time from their busy schedules to give us a leg up on all the food we will be distributing to needy families this summer.
Last but not least, a group of 7th graders from Aurora Christian School also graciously volunteered at HSP to sort food today. These students are participating in their school-wide community aid project, where all students from the school head out to local agencies to help those in need. Without the support of volunteers and friends, HSP would not be able support the needy in the DuPage and Kane counties.
HSP is very grateful to those who have taken their time to volunteer and aid us. If you or anyone you know might be interested in volunteering at HSP, please feel free to give us a call at (630)221-8340.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

HSP Welcomes a New Intern to the Team

As June approaches, we are starting to welcome new summer interns at HSP. All of these intelligent, resourceful individuals will be working diligently with our staff to meet the needs of impoverished children, seniors, and families in our community. Today we give a warm welcome to our very first summer intern, Meridyth Patrick.
            Enrolled in the Master’s of Accountancy program at Aurora University, Meridyth is seeking her new degree after working as an archeologist in both digs and a lab environment. She was initially attracted to HSP because we are locally focused and serve seniors.
During her internship, Meridyth will be assisting our co-founder and CFO Floyd with all of HSP’s accounting needs. She is eager for the chance to receive some real world accounting experiences and also learn about working in the non-profit sector—one particular career path she is interested in exploring after graduation.
            Outside of work and school, Meridyth is actively involved in a number of hobbies, including singing, playing piano, hiking, and teaching yoga.
            Everyone at HSP is excited for Meridyth, as well as future summer interns, to be giving their time and effort into making our organization better serve the needs of the children and seniors enrolled in our programs. Please join us in welcoming Meridyth to our team!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Ribfest Coming up Fast

The Humanitarian Service Project would like to announce to our friends that Ribfest is returning to Naperville on July 3rd-6th and that HSP is in the process of looking for volunteers to represent HSP during the event.

            Volunteers can do a number of things to help out at Ribfest such as serving beverages, assisting in the identification tents, helping in children play areas, distributing information at event gates, serving as parking attendants, assisting in cleaning up the grounds, and supporting the merchandising tents. Volunteers not only help HSP and Ribfest’s organizers, the Exchange Club of Naperville, but also get free admission for the event when their shifts are over. As such, many of the more coveted slots for volunteering are held earlier in the day so that the volunteers can partake of the event for the remainder of the day. Furthermore, the amount of volunteers representing HSP directly correlates to more money for our Feed the Kids program.


            HSP would like to ask those interested in volunteering to contact us directly. Now that volunteer registration is open, we would also like to remind those interested in volunteering that contacting HSP sooner is better than later. If you or someone you know may be interested in volunteering at Ribfest for HSP, please call us at 630-221-8340. Please contact HSP and make a difference in our local communities!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Feed the Kids is Almost Here

Nothing makes people reminisce about summer quite like biting into a succulent slice of watermelon. HSP’s Feed the Kids program aspires to create these kinds of wonderful summer memories full of food, fun, and family for children living at the poverty line.
During the months of June, July, and August, we distribute nutritious groceries to families whose children are usually fed through subsidized lunches provided by their schools. With less than one month to go for our first distribution day, HSP is looking for a little extra help.
We need volunteers to help sort non-perishables in our warehouse between now and June 11th during our normal business hours Mon – Fri between 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.
Additionally, we need volunteer groups to come in the day before distribution to help sort fresh produce for the families on Tuesdays of June 10th & August 5th.
Our Distribution days (Wednesdays) are June 11th, July 9th, and August 6th.  During these days, volunteers can choose to sign up for a shift between the hours of 9 am – 2 pm or 1 pm – 6:30 pm.

Just a fraction of your time can truly make a difference in the lives of a family in our community. Please contact us if you are interested! We appreciate each and every volunteer.

Monday, May 12, 2014

Stamp out Hunger Part II

This past Saturday, May 10th, HSP had a wonderful time participating in the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) national food drive, “Stamp out Hunger,” to combat hunger throughout the country. As a recipient of this food drive, the Humanitarian Service Project would like to thank everyone who participated in the food drive, from the volunteers who came to our center to unload and sort food to the volunteers who delivered the food from the post offices. We would also like to especially thank the mail carriers and community contributors without whom the food drive would not have been possible. The food will reach local seniors and families in need through our Senior Citizen Project and Feed the Kids program.


            Today, we also have a volunteer group from our friends at Sabre Holdings, who are graciously giving four hours of their time to help us sort food from the event. Sabre volunteered for the first time last spring and we’re excited to be hosting them again. We are grateful to these 8 volunteers from Sabre for giving their time to help us organize the food that we received from Stamp out Hunger. Many thanks to those who have participated in making a difference in the fight against food insecurity.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Stamp out Hunger

HSP would like to remind all our friends to leave food outside their mailbox tomorrow May 10th for Stamp out Hunger. Stamp out Hunger is a nationwide drive run by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and is the largest food drive in the country. 1,400 NALC branches from every state in America will be participating in this nationwide food drive. Your mail carrier will pick up your donation and it will go to a local charity devoted to ending hunger. The food that is distributed provides important support in HSP’s fight against hunger. Please support HSP and other local charities in our fight to stamp out hunger!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

The Results are in

Donated boxes of food from Gower Middle School.
One week after wrapping up the Feinstein Challenge, we would once again like to give a huge thank you to everyone who supported us during the months of March and April. Through your donations, we are receiving grant money directly from the Feinstein Foundation proportionate to the amount of food donated. This grant will go toward helping local needy families and seniors.
We are pleased to announce during the past two months, HSP collected a grand total of 31,022 lbs of food! To put that in perspective: that’s the equivalent of five and a half months’ worth of non-perishable food to feed all 123 of our seniors enrolled in the Senior Citizen Project.
Our appreciation goes out to the churches, businesses, schools, and many individual donors who made the time during the Feinstein Challenge such a successful period. Your contributions, as always, make a huge difference in the lives of the families involved with HSP.
Today, we would also like to recognize the Gower Middle School student council in Burr Ridge, who responded to our food drive call. We received eight boxes yesterday full of non-perishables. With Feed The Kids starting next month, every single canned good counts.

Thank you again for all of your support!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Farewell (for now) to Two Terrific Interns

This week we at HSP have had the bittersweet duty to bid a fond farewell to more members of our wonderful intern team. Over the past two days we have said goodbye to our interns Christine and Sara. We wish to take this opportunity to recognize them for all they have done to help HSP better serve the neediest members of our communities.

Christine (left) with her friend and fellow HSP intern Melinda
The first intern to finish up her internship this week was Christine Petrowich. Christine joined the HSP team a few months ago for a school requirement, and graciously stayed on as a full fledged intern. Christine primarily lent her support to HSP through her writing talents, writing “updates” about the needy seniors in our program, and writing articles and social media posts about current happenings at HSP. Christine will soon be graduating from Elmhurst College, and plans on volunteering with us when summer begins. We at HSP are very happy that the end of her internship is not so much a “goodbye” but rather just a “see you later.”

Sara (3rd from left) with HSP staff


Today, we also had to say goodbye to one of our longest serving interns ever, Sara Kozlowski. Since starting at HSP in mid-September, Sara has had a hand in the success of a majority of HSP’s projects. Regularly Sara has gone the extra mile for the sake of the needy seniors, children, and families we serve. In fact, just a week and half ago Sara went the extra “3 miles” representing HSP in the DuPage Human Race 5k. Sara has become a fixture in the HSP office, and everyone at the HSP Center is sad to see her go, but look forward to keeping in touch with her as she moves on to new adventures.


HSP is extremely grateful for the heartfelt support Christine, Sara, and all the other members of our intern team. We wish them the best as they enter new, exciting chapters in there lives.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Serving with Liberty

Today and last Friday, HSP had the pleasure of welcoming volunteers from Liberty Mutual into our facility so they could take part in their annual Serve with Liberty volunteering event.
            Serve with Liberty is a company-wide program that each of the Liberty Mutual branches across the country take part in. Kirsten J., a volunteer from the Warrenville branch explains, “This is the third year I’ve served at Humanitarian Service Project through Serve with Liberty. Basically, this volunteer event is Liberty’s way of getting their employees out and serving a charity that means something to them.” Kirsten went on to explain that the company offers more than five hundred different volunteering options across the country, and the employees are always rushing to sign up for the charity that means the most to them.
            We couldn’t be happier with the five Liberty Mutual employees that visited last Friday, or the eleven employees that helped out today. Each group volunteered to help with our Feed the Kids (FTK) program, packaging up non-perishable food and meat to be distributed to 100 families with kids that are enrolled in a school subsidized lunch program. This food is distributed throughout the summer months when the children aren’t in school and the program is on hiatus.
Our Feed the Kids program is designed to ensure that these 375 school-aged children receive proper nutrition. To do so, HSP provides the needy families in FTK with groceries during the summer food lull. In June, July, and August families receive 175 lbs of non-perishable, fresh produce and frozen meat which include a selection of 15 various fresh fruits and vegetables, 3 boxes of non-perishables weighing 25 pounds each, 7 kinds of frozen meats, and Pepperidge Farm bread each month.

Thanks again to our friends at Liberty Mutual for helping us in our goal to feed the kids this summer! 

Monday, May 5, 2014

The Need for Literacy


           The Humanitarian Service Project is seeking donations of books for the sake of the needy children we serve. We here at HSP find ourselves in particular need of books tailored for girls ages 7-8. Hardcover books are preferred, however we would be grateful for any type of donation of books for readers ages 3-11 either hardcover or softcover. Books donated to HSP are used for the Children’s Birthday Project through which we equip 925 impoverished children with 5-7 new, age appropriate books each year.
            By donating books to HSP, you can make a difference in the lives of young folk around the DuPage and Kane counties by giving them the gift of literacy. Even in today’s modern age, too many children find themselves growing up with an inability to read or write beyond a basic level due to an absence of books at home. By donating books to HSP, you can help young children build a foundation in literacy that will serve them and make difference for the rest of their lives. Help HSP provide these children the materials they need to receive the education they deserve.

If you would like to make a difference in the DuPage and Kane County areas, please feel free to contact HSP by phone at (630)221-8340 or by email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Farewell to Friends


This week, we were sad to say goodbye to two wonderful members of our intern team. We are extremely grateful to these two outgoing interns, Patricia and Lydia, for their hard work and dedicated service and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Tricia (3rd from left)
The first intern to finish up her internship this week was Patricia Arenz. She was involved with several different projects at HSP, primarily lending her talents assisting community outreach, coordinating with our supporters to raise food and paper drives, and was even involved in writing articles and blog posts about HSP events. Through her spirit for service and strong work ethic, Patricia was able to make an important impact at HSP in meeting the needs of the less fortunate in the DuPage and Kane counties. Patricia will soon be graduating from Elmhurst College and we hope that her experience at HSP will be useful for her future.

This week we also bid farewell to Lydia Gantz. Since joining HSP in January, Lydia was
Lydia (2nd from left)
involved in a myriad of different projects at HSP such as interviewing the needy seniors we serve and writing annual “updates” about them. She also helped out by researching new avenues to help fund HSP’s projects, and even spread the word about HSP on social media. Lydia’s hard work and dedication were a blessing to HSP and the impoverished seniors, children, and families in our programs. Lydia is graduating from Wheaton College this month and will be entering into the workforce after graduation. We wish her nothing but the best as she moves forward into this new chapter of her life.

 Here at HSP, we are extremely grateful to the interns who help make HSP what it is. Without their dedication and service, it would be very difficult for HSP to do the things that it does. We would like to extend a grateful thank you and hope for the best for Patricia and Lydia.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

The Secret's Out: We Need More Secret Pals!

Senior Helen C. was having trouble with one of her favorite pastimes--reading--because she couldn't see the words on the pages of her books. Her bad eyes weren't the only problem though; she also needed better lighting. A pair of reading glasses and a new lamp would have done the trick, but here's the catch-22; she couldn't afford either. When Helen opened up the bag from her Secret Pal that month only to find a flat magnifier with attached light, she couldn't believe her eyes. "I was amazed! How did she know, without me telling her, that this was exactly what I needed?" Helen exclaimed.

Do you have that intuition to know exactly what someone needs, when they need it? Is Gift-Giving your love language? Do you have neither of these special gifts but still want to help a senior in need? If you said yes to any of these questions, the Secret Pal program is looking for people like you. The seniors in the Senior Citizen Project can choose to be paired with a Secret Pal, who each month purchases small gifts and items from a senior's "wish list" to be delivered as part of the monthly grocery delivery through SCP. These gifts range from $5-25 and include wish list items like books, stationery, or games. One senior loves to quilt and sew, so her Secret Pal frequently gives her gift cards to Jo-Ann's Fabrics. Another needy senior received a TV antenna from her Secret Pal so that she could relax by watching television. The Secret Pals mean so much to their seniors and provide a great service for them.

We need Secret Pals for 12 seniors who do not have one at this time. If you would like to become a Secret Pal or would simply like more information on that program or any of our other projects, please give us a call at 630-221-8340.