It's Christmas time here at HSP

Yesterday, the Christmas Offering was off and running. From morning until evening, we helped served 184 families with special gifts that will give each child a reason to run to the tree on Christmas Morning. With all the success we achieved yesterday, we couldn’t have done it without our talented and hardworking volunteers as well as the donors who provided all the wonderful gifts!!

The only ones we want to thank this Christmas is You!!

Tuesday's Christmas Offering

It’s a Tuesday full of hustle and bustle with our Christmas Offering taking place. With the help of fantastic volunteers the 184 families are receiving goodies off Santa’s dock. Each child that is being served today will be receiving a minimum of 5 new toys. Some of the special gifts that have found a deserving home are bikes, video games and roller blades.

Thank you volunteers for bundling up and helping our families have a Merry Christmas. Your hard work and jolly spirit assisted in giving all the families a smile on their faces and hope in their hearts!!

We would also like to thank all the donors that gave so many fantastic gifts. Because of your generosity, all the children will surely have visions of sugar plums dancing in their head as they wait for Santa who will indeed arrive!!

Saturday Christmas Offering

Saturday was a big day at HSP. Santa and his merry helpers brought the joy of the season to the needy. With his workshop full of not only gifts but food, 151 families became believers once more. With the help of our enormous staff of volunteers the families’ cars were packed with 300 pounds of foods including 8 varieties of fresh fruit, 13 varieties of fresh vegetables, 7 varieties of meat, a turkey and 150 pounds of non-perishable items . Also inside the cars was a minimum of 5 brand new gifts that all the amazing and generous giving tree donors provided.

We would like to give a gigantic thank you to everyone who made this day possible.

We would like to thank all the volunteers that came out and made 151 families Christmas season brighter!!

We would also like to express our appreciation for all the donors who opened their hearts to all the families who needed the assistance.

This day would not have been this meaningful or successful without all the support!!

A Frutiful Friday

Apples, oranges and green beans oh my!!

On Friday our volunteers were busily putting together and boxing fresh fruit and vegetables that went out to our needy families this past Saturday December 18th. With the families receiving cantaloupe, onions, lettuce, green peppers and carrots to name a few, the families can enjoy the holiday not only in high spirits, but good health!!

In addition with the 3 boxes of 13 varieties of fresh vegetables and 8 varieties of fresh fruit, the families will also be receiving 7 varieties of meat; a turkey included as well 150 pounds of non-perishable items totaling 300 pounds!!!

Thanks- a- melon volunteers for helping make the fruit and vegetables boxes that went to our needy families on Saturday. It was grape to have you here!!

It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later

As the holiday draws nearer, it is time to start saying goodbye to some familiar faces here at HSP. After the New Year, there will be new smiling faces filling the HSP building. Before we have to say goodbye to all the Fall interns, here is a chance to find out what working at HSP has meant to those interns.

The first intern is Katie; when she is not handling the tasks at the front desk, she is helping to assign volunteers to seniors for Holiday meals as well as getting/receiving feedback for those meals. She is also behind most of the thank you’s for the Delivery Day Volunteers and holiday meal volunteers. Her favorite part of interning is getting all the volunteers assigned to seniors and accomplishing something from start to finish. The biggest challenge she has faced is multitasking. She is going to miss interning at HSP and the routine of the many interesting tasks she’s assigned to do. Her advice to future interns is try not to get overwhelmed and allow yourself to learn something and enjoy the experience.

The second intern is Nicole, she focuses her work on creating excel sheets for both Megan the Children Project Coordinator and Sarah the Senior Citizen Project Coordinator. Also she organizes information and converses with people whether it is over the phone or face to face. Her favorite part of interning is doing service for others that truly need the support as well as all the people she works with. The biggest challenge that she has faced is learning the copier which has too many buttons and trays. When asked what she is going to miss the most she replied all the friends that I have made and also the atmosphere here. Her advice for the future interns is to be open minded about learning something new and have fun in what you’re doing.

 

Next is Kelly. You may see her face up at the front desk or answering the phones. She is also the words behind most of the daily blog and facebook. Her favorite part of interning her is getting the opportunity to do something meaningful each and every day. The biggest challenge that she has faced is multitasking. What she is going to miss the most is all the people that she met and got the opportunity to work with. Her advice to future interns is don’t be afraid to ask questions and have some fun.

 

 

Sharon is up next. She works hard on organizing and working on grants. She is also helps with speaking Spanish. Her favorite part about interning is talking to clients especially in Spanish. Her biggest challenge is organizing all 250 grants and keeping all the information in order. What she is going to miss the most is the meaning that comes from working in an organization that does fantastic things for the needy. Her advice to future interns is be flexible.

Then there is Lilianna. She works with the Senior Citizen Project Coordinator Sarah the most. She corresponds with the seniors and helps them get the care they needed whether it was with getting glasses or hearing aids. Lilianna was also one of our Spanish speaking interns that would help with phone calls as well as translations.

 

 

 

 

There is also Abhi, he worked on Thank You’s as well doing Parent Notification letters for our Children Project Coordinator Megan. Abhi worked with Sarah our Senior Citizen Project Coordinator on many projects. These projects include redoing maps so they took our volunteers driver from one senior’s house to the next instead of from HSP to each senior’s house. In addition, he made phone calls to references and helped with mailings.

Then there is Josh. Josh worked mostly with Megan, the Children Project Coordinator. He worked hard on the Feed The Kids Manuel that will help when Feed The Kids rolls around again in June, July and August. He also did client relations and made phone calls and wrote thank you’s.

 

 

 

Last but not least there is Marissa; she gives her talents to the Senior Citizen Project. She coordinates the senior big wish list items as well confirm and find donors for Christmas food and toy drives. In addition, she writes the monthly thank you’s for senior donors. Marissa’s favorite part about interning here is the hands on experience she gets to have with the seniors. Her biggest challenge was the coordination between the big items and the seniors that received them. She is going to miss the office in general and all the positive things HSP does for the community. Her advice for future interns is to be flexible and help in many areas so you can get the full experience the internship has to offer.

HSP would like to thank all of their interns for all the hard work that they have done over the last 4 months. HSP is very blessed to have such a fantastic group giving their time and talents. We will miss you!!

HSP is looking for spring interns to start in January. These internships can be designed to fit the student’s schedule within our regular work hours of Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5.30 PM.  We would like, but do not require, 20-24 hours a week over a minimum period of 3 months. We are happy to work with students on the Federal Work Study Program. If you would like to be part of an organization that gives hope to the needy in DuPage and Kane County and have a rewarding experience. Contact Karole Kettering, Founder/Executive Director, at 630-221-8340, or e-mail hsp@humanitarianservice.org, for more information. We cannot wait to hear from you!!

Giving Donations In Style

This morning, HSP had a visit from some familiar faces. 9 Kohl’s employee’s stopped by and donated 12 bags of wrapped presents for our Christmas Offering. Bringing with the toys gigantic smiles, we too couldn’t help but feel overjoyed for all that Kohl’s has been doing for us this holiday season. Including this donation, this is the second time that Kohl’s employees have been through our doors. On Monday, 5 volunteers donated their time to help us get ready for our first Christmas Offering pick up this Saturday Dec. 18th.
Thank you so much Kohl’s for your continue support. We truly appreciate It.!!!

Getting To Know Our Volunteers

Over the years, everyone has gotten the chance to get to know HSP very well. Today we are giving a behind the scene look at the people that truly make HSP possible. Today the spotlight has shined on Evelyn and Larry.

These two fantastic volunteers have been donating their time and talents to HSP for 4 and half years. In fact, this is their 4^th Christmas helping out in any way they can. Whether Larry is leading a group of volunteers or Evelyn is organizing books in the HSP library, they are a familiar face here at HSP. When they decide to get away, their favorite vacation spot teeters between Paris France and Phoenix Arizona. Actually, any place warm and with no snakes where they can get away from the cold of Illinois winter works for them. When asked what was one talent that you would want that you don’t have now, Evelyn answered to be able to do water coloring, while Larry said playing the piano and being able to make good furniture. Eveyln’s super power if she could have one would be to fly, while Larry’s would be able to print legal money to give to charity. In the spirit of the holidays, their favorite Christmas songs are Feliz Navidad and Jingle Bells.

Larry and Evelyn went on to say that HSP is a wonderful organization and they love  everything that we do, but there should be no need for organizations like this to even have to be started. If more people helped out like the wonderful people that donate to HSP, there won’t be so many people struggling each and everyday.

HSP is so honored and grateful to have Larry & Evelyn as volunteers. Our lives as well as each person they have helped are better for knowing them.

Thanks for all you do!!!