Thank you to the Naperville Church of Latter Day Saints

The Naperville Church of Latter Day Saints hosted a service event during the weekend on behalf of the impoverished children in our Children’s Birthday Project. They wrapped birthday presents for 30 kids and put together 150 Party-in-a-box kits full of party supplies. The bags of wrapping and 107 of the kits were dropped off yesterday. The generous members of the Naperville Church of the Latter Day Saints put so much care into making these kits fun and memorable for the children. The kits were chockfull of wonderful party supplies, were very nicely packaged and themed. Thanks to this donation, 150 children will be enjoying amazing parties with themes like Spider-man, and Disney Princess. We truly appreciate the generosity putting so much love and care into helping us providing these deserving children, exciting and happy birthdays! If you too would like to be a part of assisting HSP in serving needy kids, there are many opportunities with Christmas coming up; you can visit our website at www.humanitarianservice.org.

BP Women's Network School Supply Drive

          Last Friday, HSP received a generous donation from BP Women’s Network, who held a school supply drive to benefit the children we serve.  For the last three years, BP Women’s Network has held school supply drives for HSP, and they never cease to amaze us with their generosity; in fact, this year, they collected and donated enough school supplies to fill the back of an SUV!

          Every year, HSP serves thousands of impoverished children with the supplies they need to succeed in school.  HSP’s School Supply Drive takes place in the summer, as we help children prepare to go back to school in the fall.  Through the School Supply Drive, HSP supports the DuPage County Regional Office of Education, Kane County’s “Project Backpack,” and local schools with high percentages of poverty.  Although it is no longer summer, the school supplies donated by the BP Women’s Network still benefit the children we serve greatly, as HSP also distributes supplies in the Birthday Boxes we provide through the Children’s Birthday Project.     

          Thank you, BP Women’s Network, for your continued support and wonderful donations to HSP; your generosity means the world to all of us here at HSP and the children we serve.  If you would like to learn more about how you can help HSP, please visit our website at http://www.humanitarianservice.org/. 

Preparation for the holiday season

The holiday season may still seem far off but here at HSP we are already preparing for our busiest and most exciting time of the year! Throughout the fall, we will be getting ready for our Christmas Offering. On a monthly basis, HSP distributes 6 tons of food to seniors in need but in December, we distribute over 55,000 lbs. of groceries which means there is an increased need for food. We rely on donations from community members in the form of food drives to continue making our Christmas Offering distributions to impoverished families possible. Holding a food drive is a great project for church groups, schools and other community groups. It is also a great way for kids to give back. Some of the food that is most needed at this time is tuna, cereal, peanut butter and jelly and canned fruits and vegetables. For more information on how to help, please contact us at (630) 221- 8340 or visit our website at www.humanitarianservice.org!   

Toy drive from Young Men’s Service League

Yesterday, HSP received a generous donation from our friends at the Panther Chapter of Young Men’s Service League. (YMSL) YMSL ran a toy drive and collected a trunk load of toys. They included really great gifts like sports equipment, legos, activity sets, games, even a skateboard. YMSL is a mother/son service group in which mothers and their teenage sons bond over volunteering and service projects. This local chapter is a prolific supporter of HSP making many donations and regularly giving their time as volunteers. We really appreciate the toys that YMSL donated that are sure to bring smiles to the faces of children in need. These toys came at a great time because they are needed for the Children’s Birthday Project and our Christmas Offering, which is coming up soon. If you are interested in helping out with conducting a toy drive, you can visit our website at http://www.humanitarianservice.org.

Senior Endowment Campaign with Allured Business Media

There are three and a half weeks left in our $15,000 Senior Endowment Campaign. As we quickly approach the deadline of October 17^th, we are coming very close to reaching our goal. This campaign is being run thanks to the partnership of HSP and Allured Business Media. Allured are matching donations dollar for dollar up to $7,500. The goal of this campaign is to raise a $15,000 endowment (including Allured’s match) so that HSP can add a new senior to the Senior Citizen Project (SCP) raising the programs 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.

Congratulations, Michelle!

          Today is an exciting day for all of us here at HSP.  Not only do we get to see Michelle’s lovely, smiling face again, as she’s been out of the office since last Thursday, but we also get to celebrate her wedding!  Michelle got married this past Saturday, and we couldn’t be happier for her.

          Michelle works hard every day she’s here, and she’s always a source of comfort and joy.  Michelle is the coordinator of HSP’s Senior Citizen Project (SCP).  Michelle makes sure that deliveries to the seniors enrolled in SCP are delivered every month; she takes special care to meet every individual senior’s wants and needs.  Michelle also works very hard to make sure our pantry is well-stocked, and oversees many volunteer groups that come to HSP.  HSP wouldn’t be the same without her, and we’re so happy that we can share this new chapter of her life with her.  So, from all of us here at HSP, congratulations, Michelle and Bruno, and we wish you nothing but the best.

COD Cares

On Friday, the service group of College of DuPage Cares generously donated 250 “Party in a Bag Kits”!  COD Cares, as explained on their website, is “an institution-wide umbrella program that actively supports and strengthens College of DuPage communities by encouraging and coordinating charitable efforts for staff and student participation while fostering a culture of service on campus.”  HSP is truly amazed at this group and how many party supplies they collected for the children enrolled in the Children’s Birthday Project (CBP).  Party in Bag Kits include everything to make every child’s birthday feel special, such as birthday cake mix, frosting, candles, balloons, paper plates, napkins, and party favors.  Each child in CBP receives a Party in a Bag Kit in their birthday box.

We are so thankful to COD Cares group for the Party in a Bag Kits they provided, which will truly help the needy children we serve and their families.  If you would be interested in helping HSP serve impoverished children, you can visit our website at http://humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/bdayproject.html.

Pre-delivery day sorting

Today we continued preparing for our September Senior Citizen Project food delivery which takes place tomorrow morning. Every month, 123 seniors in need receive 100 lbs. of fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats, bread, non-perishables, paper products and a gift from their “secret pal.” This month they will also receive a “personal care kit” filled with hygiene products. Today, to help prepare for the delivery, 14 volunteers joined us to help sort fresh produce and bread. Twelve volunteers came from UPS Supply Chain Solutions and two volunteers from United Stationers. Both companies have been long time supporters of HSP’s projects. We are always happy to see their smiling faces. Thanks to their generous support we can continue to serve the needs of seniors living in poverty.

Jones Lang & Lasalle

Yesterday, HSP received a generous donation from the employees of Jones Lang and Lasalle (JLL) who ran a school supply drive that consisted of backpacks and other supplies for impoverished children. It was a companywide School Supply Drive organized by JLL employee Kathy Cole. JLL was very successful, collecting a total of 30 backpacks which included supplies inside for children grades 1 through 4. On top of that, the company even provided 6 bags and 1 box of extra supplies to HSP so children will not have to worry about missing out at school because they cannot afford supplies. The purpose of HSP’s annual School Supply Drive is to help children be prepared and achieve success in the classroom. We really appreciate JLL for this generous donation for the sake of needy children. If you too would be interested in helping HSP reach out to impoverished children, you can learn more by going to our website at www.humanitarianservice.org.

What HSP is doing in Carol Stream

The Carol Stream Community Food Drive
in April

At HSP we are involved throughout DuPage and parts of Kane County to serve the needs of impoverished seniors and children. We’d like to take the opportunity to highlight all the work we are doing in each community, starting today with HSP’s hometown of Carol Stream.

17 out of the 123 needy seniors in our Senior Citizen Project live in Carol Stream, 5 of whom are in need of a sponsor. This sponsorship helps HSP deliver 100 lbs of fresh produce, frozen meats, non-perishables, and paper products to every senior each month! To be a sponsor it is $800 per year or $70 per month, or a co-sponsor for $400 per year or $35 per month.

HSP is also very active in Carol Stream by providing support to needy children and their families. The Children’s Birthday Project serves 925 children, 59 of which live in Carol Stream and 37 of whom are in need of a sponsor. Each child receives new toys/games; stuffed animals, books, and a party in box (all the items to have a party).   A sponsorship for the Children’s Birthday Project is $54 a year! All 925 children also receive 3+ gifts for our Christmas Offering and their families are eligible to receive groceries through HSP’s Feed the Kids Project and at Christmas.

What better way to help the needy by serving the people in your own community! If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor contact HSP via e-mail at hsp@humanitarianservice.org or by phone at (630) 221-8340.    

Volunteer Appreciation -- Monday Morning Food Sorting Team

Although the week has just begun, it’s already incredibly busy here at HSP.  This Saturday is our monthly delivery to the seniors enrolled in the Senior Citizen Project (SCP), so we’ve been very busy preparing for that.  Many people help us in making SCP delivery days a success, and we would like to recognize our Monday morning food sorting team.  Our Monday morning team, along with volunteers that come in on Wednesdays, restock the pantry, sort, and bag all of the non-perishable food items and meats that are sent to the seniors in SCP.  Without them and their time, we would not be able to serve the needy seniors that we do through SCP.

Currently, SCP serves 123 impoverished seniors in DuPage and Kane Counties.  Each month, every senior receives 100 pounds of groceries, which includes fresh produce, meats, bread, non-perishable items, and paper products.  One Saturday each month, with the help of our gracious volunteers, we deliver these groceries to the seniors to provide them with the nutrition they need.  We wouldn’t be able to accomplish this on our own, so we do appreciate all of the time that our volunteers give in order to make SCP and delivery days successful.  Thank you, Monday morning food sorting team and Wednesday volunteers – your generosity and time help to save and enrich the lives of the seniors we serve, and we can’t thank you enough.

Supply Delivery

          Last Friday, September 12, HSP donated cleaning supplies and copy paper to Child Service Center in Aurora.  HSP gave these supplies to Child Service Center, a preschool located in a low-income district, to help them during the school year.  The supplies HSP were dropped off at Child Service Center by our wonderful volunteer, Jeff Marker. 

These donated supplies came to HSP through our school supply drive.  After donating supplies to needy children, HSP had some supplies that would better suit a classroom or office environment, so we were able to help even more children though our donation to Child Service Center.  Thank you to everyone who donated, or helped with, the school supply drive; because of you, we were able to give around 4,000 children the school supplies they needed.  From all of us here at HSP, we can’t thank you enough for your generosity, and we’d also like to wish Child Service Center a great school year!

We love our volunteers!

Today HSP hosted 10 volunteers from Glenbard South High School. This transitions group volunteers on a monthly basis to gain both vocational skills as well as give back to the community. This was their first time volunteering their time since school has been back in session and we were very happy to welcome them back. The group consisted of 7 students and 3 staff members. Our volunteers helped in the warehouse for two hours, sorting and doing inventory of meat for the Senior Citizen’s Project. They also sorted non-perishables for SCP—just in time for our delivery that’s coming up on Saturday September 20^th. We are so excited to have been able to host this group again and hope to see them back soon.

Volunteers are essential to the work that we do here at HSP and we could not be more appreciative of our volunteers. If you are interested in giving back by volunteering with us, please contact HSP via e-mail at hsp@humanitarianservice.org or by phone at (630) 221-8340.    

Party in a bag kits

Earlier this week, HSP received a donation of 16 “Party-in-a-bag” kits from Wilton Brands. The kits included tons of party supplies for needy kids such as birthday cake mix, frosting, candles, balloons, paper plates and napkins. Over the last month, Wilton Brands collected all the necessary materials and made the bags. The Wilton employees went above and beyond collecting so many wonderful supplies for the sake of needy children. Each child in Children’s Birthday Project receives a Party in a bag kit in their birthday box allowing them to celebrate their special day. These kits generously donated by Wilton will go a long way in helping us provide special, memorable birthdays to the needy children we serve. If you would be interested in serving these children in the Children’s Birthday Project, you can visit our website at http://humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/bdayproject.html

Mass Mutual Financial Group Volunteers at HSP

Today HSP was glad to host 17 volunteers from Mass Mutual Financial Group who came into HSP to help wrap gifts for our Children’s Birthday Project. This group of volunteers spent around two hours in our warehouse this afternoon wrapping gifts for the impoverished children served by the program. The group kindly even brought an assortment of wrapping paper to use while enthusiastically wrapping the gifts.  The volunteer group comes to as a part of a company-wide volunteering event. This month,  Mass Mutual volunteers from across the country are engaging in community service projects to serve the communities in which they work.

CBP provides 925 impoverished children between the ages of 3 and 11 with a 20-25 lb. “birthday box” full of new toys, books, party supplies and more. This project allows children in families who otherwise would not be able to afford celebrating birthdays to receive the special, memorable day all children deserve.

Within the next month, HSP will put wrapping birthday gifts on hold to focus on our Christmas Offering, so we are very grateful to these volunteers from Mass Mutual for helping us get birthday gifts wrapped for children with birthdays in the upcoming months wrapped ahead of time.  

Senior Endowment Campaign

          The Senior Endowment Campaign, a campaign in which we’ve partnered with Allured Business media, is still taking place to enroll a senior permanently into our Senior Citizen Project (SCP). SCP provides 100 pounds of groceries to 123 impoverished seniors every month to provide for seniors’ basic needs.  Every three months, the seniors enrolled in SCP also receive a personal care kit, complete with hygiene items, such as shampoo and toothpaste.  Seniors can also look forward to receiving gifts every month from their Secret Pals, who provide gifts ranging from the $20-$25 range, such as gift cards or other items on seniors’ wish lists, making their lives a little brighter.

            The Senior Endowment Campaign, run by Allured Business Media, is taking place until October 17.  The campaign is working to raise at least $7,500, which will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Allured Business Media, to enroll a new senior into SCP.  With the $7,500 matched by Allured Business Media, HSP will be able to permanently provide the services of SCP to a new senior, increasing the program’s enrollment from 123 needy seniors to 124.

            If you would like to donate, or if you have any questions about the Senior Endowment Campaign, please feel free to contact us at 630-221-8340, or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.  We are accepting donations of any dollar amount in our office and through the mail at 465 Randy Road, Carol Stream, IL 60188; or on Network for Goods (https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/hsp?code=Homepage).  Please consider donating so we can help one more senior living in poverty within Du

Page and Kane Counties!      

HSP Welcomes Another New Fall Intern

          HSP has another new, smiling face joining our team, making our Monday morning even brighter.  Today, we welcome Lisa Szilagyi to our HSP team as the new accounting intern. 

Lisa started her college career at COD, earning her Clerical Accounting Certificate; she then transferred to ISU for one year before finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism at Roosevelt University.  Lisa would like to go into the accounting field, which is a large part of why she applied for the internship here at HSP.  Along with the experience Lisa hopes to gain while interning with HSP, she also said a large reason why she chose HSP is because she really liked that HSP is a charity organization and felt that it was a good match for her career goals and her personal values.  While here, Lisa will be working with our CFO, Floyd Kettering, assisting him with the financial work at HSP.  Lisa hopes to spend her time at HSP getting more comfortable with the software that is used in the accounting field so she can hone her own skills and education to advance in the field herself. 

Lisa has spent time in the past volunteering for Kenneth Young, a retail store that accepts donations and then sells them for lower prices, in Schaumburg.  There, Lisa helped sort clothing and other items that were donated to the store.  Outside of her internship, Lisa enjoys being outdoors, particularly riding her bike and taking nature walks.  Lisa also enjoys playing video games and reading, citing the Bioshock and Mass Effect series as some of her favorite video games; for reading, Lisa says that her favorite series is The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, but she also enjoys Lord of the Rings, and anything by Stephen King. 

            All of us here at HSP are thrilled to have Lisa join our team, and we look forward to all the wonderful work she will accomplish here.  Welcome!

Entertainment Books on Sale Now!

The 2015 Entertainment books are in! An Entertainment book is a coupon book filled with hundreds of offers for local restaurants, stores and attractions. This sale is run by HSP supporter, Sheri Kohout in efforts to raise funds for our Senior Citizen Project. The Senior Citizen Project provides 100 pounds of groceries, personal care and household items to seniors in need. The money raised by the sale of these books will enable HSP to provide nutritious groceries to a needy senior for a whole year. This year, the books also come with the option to download a mobile app which gives access to great deals nationwide. Books are $25 and you can buy one right here at HSP.      

HSP Welcomes 3 New Interns

With Summer reaching its end, we are excited for all of the exciting things that Fall brings.  Fall not only brings weather that’s perfect for a sweater and jeans, but it also brings new interns into the HSP office!  Hooray!  We’re very excited to be bringing more happy faces into our office to serve the children and seniors we work to help every day.

                      The first new intern we’d like to welcome to the team is Frank Miller.  Frank is currently attending North Central College as an Entrepreneurship/ Small Business Management major with a double minor in Accounting and Marketing.  Upon completing his college degree, Frank hopes to join a marketing firm.  Frank found that interning at HSP would be a great fit for him because of his passion for service and helping others, which was fostered in him from a young age and has continued through various volunteer work throughout his high school career.  During his time here at HSP, Frank hopes to expand his communication skills.  Aside from all of his interest in service, Frank can also boast that he is an avid bowler and a second-degree black belt!

            Next, we’d like to welcome Mackenzie Mentink.  Mackenzie attends Elmhurst College as a Business/Marking major.  After Mackenzie completes her college degree, she hopes to work in a non-profit organization, making HSP a very sensible choice for interning.  Mackenzie also chose to intern at HSP because of her passion for helping others and her desire to make a difference.  Mackenzie fosters her passion for helping other by volunteering with her sorority, which is engaged in several activities, including regularly working with Feed My Starving Children.  Mackenzie hopes to learn more about her professional goals from her time spent here at HSP.  Outside of all the time Mackenzie spends giving back to others, she also enjoys playing volleyball and spending time with her dog named Sophie.

            Finally, we’d like to welcome Brittany Galiardo, our last new intern to join this week.  Brittany attends Elmhurst College as an Organizational Communications major.  After Brittany completes her college degree, she would like to work in a non-profit organization, and maybe even become a social worker.  Brittany chose to intern at HSP because she thought it would be relevant to her career goals and she wants to help serve our clientele.  Brittany has past volunteer experience, including a lot of time spent working with her sorority and working with her college’s Habitat for Humanity Chapter.  Brittany is looking forward to gaining experience working with the clientele we serve while here at HSP. Aside from all of her interest in volunteering and helping others, Brittany also enjoys arts and crafts and spending time outdoors.

            From all of here at HSP, we are very excited to welcome you to our team; thank you for being part of our cause to help needy children and seniors!  We can’t wait to work with all of you!     

  

SEAL Is Starting Their School Year Off Right!

The School of Expressive Arts and Learning (SEAL) are starting their school year out right by sorting paper for the Senior Citizen Project! Today six volunteers came to help the Humanitarian Service Project this morning, which was a tremendous help this lent a hand by sorting paper products for the needy seniors we serve. This task is important that the volunteers sorted paper because not only can these seniors not afford groceries but paper products such as facial tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels are also very expensive for our seniors. Every senior in our Senior Citizen Project gets 100 pounds of groceries monthly, including fresh fruits, vegetables, frozen meats and non perishables. Here at HSP it is important for our seniors to have the food and nutrients they need but also paper products to keep them living healthy lives.

The School of Expressive Arts and Learning have been volunteering at HSP for three years now, we are very thankful for all their hard work and dedication by regularly lending their support. The Senior Citizen Project would not be possible without our selfless volunteers, Thank you SEAL for your help today and we will see you soon!

If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering their time to help make a difference in the lives of needy children and seniors, feel free to contact the Humanitarian Service Project by phone at 630-221-8340, or by email at hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Giant Steps Volunteer Program!

It is always great to see young people engaged in helping those in need. Last week, HSP was blessed to have a group of young volunteers from Giant Steps, in Lisle, lend their support. Their main mission is to improve the function and quality of daily life for teens with autism all the way through adulthood. Giant Steps came in to volunteer to sort food for the impoverished seniors served by our Senior Citizen Project last week. On Tuesday, they had to depart early due to weather conditions, but still managed to volunteer their time. On Thursday, this group returned bringing a generous food donation. Finally on Friday, 13 students and aides volunteered for one hour helping us organize non-perishable food to provide to needy seniors. We would like to thank the volunteers of Giant Steps for dedicating their time and passion for improving the service here at HSP! It was a pleasure to host Giant steps last week and we greatly appreciate their efforts! You can check out Giant Steps online at http://www.mygiantsteps.org/ for more information.