Post-Holiday Gift Brings Cheer to Local Families in Poverty

Recently, the Naperville branch of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) donated $2500 to the Humanitarian Service Project (HSP) to recoup the costs of HSP's 2013 Christmas Offering. The company gave a generous contribution of 200 toys for the children in the programs prior to the 2013 holiday season.

Since 1946, AIR, a nonprofit and nonpartisan company, has sustained the many needs of individuals, organizations and communities. Their mission is to conduct and apply the best behavioral and social science research toward improving people's lives with a special emphasis on the disadvantaged.

For 35 years, The Christmas Offering was the first of many services HSP provided to local impoverished senior citizens and children. In 2013 the program provided Christmas gifts to a total of 125 seniors and 1600 children. This included the seniors and children enrolled in HSP's Senior Citizen Project and Children's Birthday Project (CBP) along with hundreds of families and seniors served on the waiting list. In the month of December, HSP distributes 250 lbs. of groceries including a turkey, fresh produce, meat, bread, and non-perishables for 150 families participating in CBP. An additional 200 families received a “Holiday Meal Box” through the program, which included non-perishable groceries for a holiday dinner. With over 840 families being served by the program, HSP's 2013 Christmas Offering was the charity's largest to date.