HSP has urgent appeal for school supplies drive
The Humanitarian Service Project (HSP) is conducting a School Supplies Drive to fill the backpacks of impoverished children with the items necessary for a successful school year. The privately funded non-profit is trying to help the hundreds of needy children turned away after the county's Back to School Fair ran out of supplies. The HSP is currently collecting paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, crayons, folders, markers, colored pencils, highlighters, rulers, safety scissors, erasers, and glue sticks. Backpacks are especially needed.
Karole Kettering, HSP Co-Founder and Executive Director, said many educators and administrators in local schools have told her of the critical shortage of school supplies among students. A high school science teacher said “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 pencils, paper, a binder, etc., 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.”
“The community's response has been great, but we have hundreds of children still on a waiting list”, said Kettering.
Drives to collect donations of school supplies make great community service projects for churches, businesses, and other organizations! Group and individual donations may be dropped off at the HSP center at 465 Randy Rd. Carol Stream, IL 60188 Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5:30 PM. HSP also collects and distributes school supplies year round to 700 children through it's Children's Birthday Project program.
For more information, visit www.humanitarianservice.org or call 630-221-8340.
About the Humanitarian Service Project
HSP has been given the highest Four Star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh consecutive year. Founded in 1979, HSP's mission is to alleviate the pain and suffering that poverty creates in seniors and children living in DuPage and Kane counties, Illinois. Last year during the Christmas Offering Project, 1,264 children received gifts and 150 impoverished families received three weeks of groceries, frozen meats, and fresh produce. With the Senior Citizen Project, HSP provides a monthly food delivery and secret pal gifts to 120 low-income seniors. The Children's Birthday Project reaches the youngest underprivileged, making birthdays and Christmas truly memorable occasions for 700 children. Feed the Kids provides 100 low-income families with groceries and fresh produce during the summer months. HSP conducts an annual school supplies drive that benefited a total of 5,200 children by giving supplies to the DuPage Back to School Fair and directly to schools and individual children.