Love is in the Air!

Humanitarian Service Project would like to deliver our deepest gratitude to Divine Savior Parish of Downers Grove for sharing their gigantic hearts and contributing such a large donation of “Boxes of Love.” Nearing Valentine’s Day, Divine Savior Parish truly has shown their love and kindness to the needy seniors served by HSP. Better than a box of chocolates this holiday, Divine Savior Parish donated a much more purposeful box to each one of our 121 seniors in our Senior Citizen Project.

These “Boxes of Love,” are a sweet idea based off of the Senior Care Kits that are sent out to the seniors every three months. Each “Box of Love,” that was provided by Divine Savior Parish contained:

·         Kleenex

·         Toilet paper

·         Shampoo & conditioner

·         Soap

·         Mouthwash

·         Lotion

·         Toothpaste

·         Chap stick

·         Plus green tea & hot chocolate!

In addition to these wonderful “Boxes of Love” that they give each year, Divine Savior Parish is a huge supporter of HSP. They do so much for our programs, particularly our Christmas Offering and the Senior Citizen Project. Thank you again Divine Savior Parish! Plus a big thanks to those who picked up these lovely gifts Mike Tortorello and Rich Patera!

If you are looking to make a contribution to the Humanitarian Service Project, please, give us a call at 630-221-8340, or email us at hsp@humanitarianservice.org. A list of items that are always needed by our seniors can be found on our webpage: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/wishlists.html.  

Thank You UPS Volunteers!

Humanitarian Service Project would like to thank a group of eleven volunteers from UPS Supply Chain Solutions in Carol Stream, who volunteered their time to help us sort fresh produce for the needy senior citizens served by our Senior Citizen Project. This wonderful group spent two hours today helping us get all the fresh produce ready that will be delivered to the 121 needy seniors in the project, as part of our February Delivery Day tomorrow. Fresh produce is an integral part of the 100 lb., nutritious grocery package HSP sends to each of these seniors every month, and it is only thanks to the generosity of groups like UPS that we are able to continue to provide these fruits and veggies for the seniors. UPS has been a steadfast supporter of HSP, and regularly volunteers their time as produce sorters. Again, we want to thank them for taking time out of their busy days to help us reach out to seniors in need.

On our Delivery Day each month, volunteer drivers deliver 100lbs. of groceries to each of the 121 needy seniors in our project. The packages contain not only 15 varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables, but also, 7 frozen meats, 6 bags of non-perishables, 3 loaves of Pepperidge Farm bread, 2 bags of paper products, personal care items, and a gift from each senior’s “Secret Pal.” Volunteer produce sorters, like these thoughtful and hardworking UPS volunteers, are just one of the important groups that help HSP make this happen every month. There are so many ways to get involved to assist HSP in making a big difference in the lives of needy seniors in our community. If you would be interested in lending a hand, you can learn more about these opportunities on our website: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/whatwedo/monthlydelivery.html

Race Against Hunger

Luanne (right) with the groceries she collected.

Today was an exciting day for HSP, as we were lucky enough to be represented in the DuPage County Farm Bureau’s annual “Race Against Hunger.” HSP was the chosen charity of Luanne Triolo Newman, the Executive Director of the Carol Stream Chamber, who ran in the race, hosted at Jewel-Osco in Carol Stream. For the event, Luanne and her challenger Dr. Bill Shields, superintendent of School District 93, were given 10 minutes to run through Jewel’s aisles supermarket sweep style, to collect as many items containing corn, wheat, or soy beans, (the staple crops grown by Illinois farmers) as possible. Luanne really put the lead out and snagged up a huge haul of almost 400 items! In what was, according to the DuPage County Farm Bureau, one of the closest races they’ve ever held, Luanne was declared the winner of the event. The items she and Dr. Shields collected, were purchased by the Farm Bureau, and donated to HSP and Neighborhood Food Pantries (Dr. Shields’ chosen charity.)

From Left: Dr. Bill Shields, HSP Assistant Executive Director
Kristin Maxwell and Luanne.

This is the 15th year the DuPage County Farm Bureau has held this race to coincide with National Food Check Out week. HSP was thrilled to be Luanne’s chosen charity, and the food she collected will go very far in meeting the needs of impoverished seniors in our Senior Citizen Project. When it was all collected in one place, the bags of food Luanne secured for HSP, more than covered the floor to one of our cargo vans. We wish to thank both Luanne and the DuPage County Farm Bureau for their hard work and generosity.

Every month HSP delivers 100 lbs. of nutritious groceries to the 121 needy seniors enrolled in our Senior Citizen Project. HSP also runs the Feed the Kids program in the summer time, and the Christmas Offering during the holidays, which provide much-needed food to needy, local families. As such, food donations are always a huge help around HSP. If you would like to get involved, you can learn more at HSP’s website here: http://www.humanitarianservice.org/getinvolved/index.html.

Jr. League of Kane and Dupage County has Things Wrapped Up!

Humanitarian Service Project would like to sincerely thank the Junior League of Kane and Dupage Counties for wrapping so many gifts for the Children’s Birthday Project. These wonderful women donated such a considerable amount of time in order to help these needy children in the program.

 The Junior League of Kane and DuPage Counties has a project called “Done in a Day” in which the group participates in short-term, hands-on volunteer projects that assist local charities. As part of this project, this past Friday the Junior League of Kane and Dupage Counties held a “Wrapping Party,” where the group wrapped 10 bags worth of presents for the Children’s Birthday Project. Each bag contains presents for a needy child, and, with the amount of gifts in each birthday bag, this group did a ton of wrapping! These gifts include 6-10 new toys, 6 books. The wrapping was done beautifully which will make the children appreciate the gifts that much more! After the wrapped gifts are returned to HSP’s center, additional items are added to create each child’s special Birthday Box including, stuffed animals, smaller “filler” gifts, school supplies, coloring books, and party supplies in the form of a “party in a box kit.”

If you would like to help out HSP by wrapping gifts please contact us at (630)-221-8340 or by e-mail hsp@humanitarianservice.org.

Two Added to the HSP Team!

David

Today at Humanitarian Service Project we are super excited to welcome two new interns! These two interns come to us from Elmhurst College and heard of HSP’s intern Program through past HSP interns!

First we have David Patterson. He is a Political Science major, who hopes to one day work for a non-profit organization or the state department. David was drawn to HSP because he likes the idea of helping out others. When he was younger he participated in Boy Scouts and eventually became an Eagle Scout, so David is no stranger to volunteerism. David will be creating HSP’S “Senior Updates” by interviewing and taking note on the progress of the needy seniors served by our Senior Citizen Project. David will be a great fit for writing the “Senior Updates” as he enjoys writing and reading making the match a perfect fit.

Emma

On the flipside, we have our other new intern Emma Ewing. She will be working with the numbers side of things, seeing that she is an accounting intern. This internship will help pave the way for her dream of becoming a successful accountant. Emma was attracted to the atmosphere HSP has to offer as a not-for-profit organization, and with a smaller work environment is excited to get to know everyone. Emma has volunteered a lot in the past, due to her involvement with Elmhurst College’s Greek life. She is a sister to 80 girls in her sorority Sigma Kappa. As head of finance in her sorority, and as a member of the accounting and finance club at Elmhurst, Emma will surely be a big help here at HSP!  

Join us here at HSP in welcoming these two new interns to the HSP team! 

A Visit from KinderCare in Addison!

Today, at Humanitarian Service Project, we had some very special visitors from KinderCare in Addison. In all, there were 50 youngsters that stopped by HSP and participated in a tour of the facility. During the tour the kids were able to learn and physically see what goes on at HSP.

When breaking down the idea of the Children’s Birthday Project to the KinderCare group, they seemed ecstatic to know that the needy kids in the program would be receiving such a wonderful package for their birthdays. Their eyes lit up in the toy room, but the icing on the cake was when they found out that the birthday boxes would also contain birthday party decorations.

Along with their smiles, the children brought 5 large boxes of food and paper products, and wonderfully handmade Valentine’s Day cards that will be going to the seniors in the Senior Citizen Project. This coming Saturday will actually be the next delivery day for the Senior Citizen Project, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect for this visit. Humanitarian Service Project would truly like to thank the kids from KinderCare for their kind donation and the fabulously crafted cards; we hope to see you here again soon!  

HSP Visits COD’s Service Learning Fair!

Kristin at the Service Learning Fair

Earlier this week, Humanitarian Service Project had the pleasure of attending the College of DuPage Service Learning Fair. HSP was represented at the fair by Assistant Executive Director, Kristin Maxwell, who spoke to many COD students about volunteering at HSP this semester. These students are participants in COD’s Service Learning program, in which students spend 20 hours volunteering their time with a community organization. HSP has been a community partner with the program for a few years now, and every time, we have had wonderful volunteers help in a myriad of ways. HSP is looking forward to hosting service learning students again this semester.

The service learning volunteers will be involved in a number of different projects around HSP which include; community outreach, office support, and lending their hands in our warehouse preparing for our Senior Citizen Project Delivery Days, and in our Children’s Birthday Project toy room. Many of the students expressed enthusiasm in specific projects, which will allow them to utilize the skills they are developing in class to help us serve the needy seniors and children in our projects. College of DuPage calls this type of service a “win-win,” and we are inclined to agree. There have been a number of our past Service Learning volunteers who have used their unique talents, to be an immense help around HSP, and some continue to volunteer after their service contract ends. We look forward to our continued partnership with the Service Learning program!