Itasca volunteers help families through tough financial times
When a family is facing tough times, they often feel pressure from several directions.
Money's already tight when an unexpected expense pops up and the budget just can't be stretched far enough to cover it. Or maybe paying the bill leaves no money for groceries. If something doesn't change, the financial troubles can spiral into skipped rent or mortgage payments and, eventually, homelessness.
Throughout the suburbs, nonprofit organizations and government agencies stand ready to help. Some will step in and pay a bill in an emergency. Food pantries stock the shelves to ensure no one has to go hungry. And shelters give the homeless a safe place to sleep at night.
Like many communities, Itasca supports vulnerable residents with the Itasca Food Pantry, the Itasca Walk-in Ministry's emergency financial aid, and the Itasca Homeless Shelter, which operates as a DuPage PADS shelter site.
But volunteers with the organizations noticed a gap in the services. There were families whose needs were more profound than a one-time unexpected bill, who needed more than groceries to keep them on their feet and out of the homeless shelter.
The Itasca Community Outreach Team works individually with those in extreme need, seeking to solve the problems causing financial insecurity and to empower people and families so they become self-reliant. Volunteers choose individual families to help, then turn to other organizations, churches and community groups to secure support.
The outreach team of volunteers works with the other three organizations under the umbrella of Itasca Cares to offer a coordinated continuum of care in Itasca, says Erik Engel, who co-founded the organization with Megan Seridan and Ellen Glatz. Today, Engel tells us more about the Itasca Community Outreach Team.
Q. What is Itasca Community Outreach Team's mission?
A. To restore individuals back to self-reliance through a process of empowerment by working alongside local churches, businesses and interested individuals.
Q. How does ICOT work toward accomplishing that goal?
A. We three co-founders discover a potential family in need through a referral. We meet with them and vet them. We discern whether or not to take on the case after prayer. We tap into local churches and other local resources to meet the need. We seek to empower them back on their feet and not to a sense of entitlement.
Q. Who do you serve?
A. We potentially serve anyone who lives in Itasca, does business in Itasca, goes to church in Itasca or uses resources in Itasca — anyone calling Itasca home.
Q. When and why did the organization start? How has it grown?
A. It started a few years back when Ellen and I, who work closely with the local homeless population, started Ending Homelessness for One, an effort seeking to reduce the chronic homeless population that frequents the Itasca Homeless Shelter year after year. We found we were targeting the wrong population because the people we wanted to help would not accept help, wanting to do it on their own.
Then the story of a young widow with a daughter surfaced through the Itasca Food Pantry. We drew in Megan Sheridan from the Itasca Food Pantry and Itasca Walk-In Ministry. Together we created ICOT to prevent homelessness and target families to be weaned off all local support through a close process of empowerment.
Q. What kind of successes have you had?
A. The young widow needed her driveway redone to keep her homeowners insurance, enabling her to complete a more affordable refinance. Through talking to various churches and local groups, the money was raised. We told her story through a video I made. It's her voice over a video of her home in disrepair. Her husband was fixing up their home and helping others when he was killed by an intoxicated driver. We also organized some home repairs in addition to other supports. Throughout the process she added in her own money and time. She has since volunteered for different aspects of Itasca Cares.
Most recently, there was a couple with a baby diagnosed with a severe form of cancer — stage 4. We wrapped around them and ICOT arranged for them to receive many diapers and meals to cushion the suffering from financial and time costs. The baby is now cancer free. His mother talks about ICOT's support in a video on YouTube.
Q. What challenges does ICOT currently face?
A. We have this awesome website, ItascaCares.org, as a result of the amazing volunteer work of Itasca resident and volunteer Katsunori Okada. We are unsure how best to get local Itasca people to visit it. We are working on some amazing fundraiser ideas, but we are still getting word out about our existence for local referrals.
Q. What do you wish the community at large knew about the organization?
A. They should know ICOT is 100 percent volunteer-run and 100 percent of the funds are used for the benefit of the client only.
Q. How can readers get involved?
A. Our goal is to empower clients back on their feet and not instill a sense of entitlement. We believe the way to do it is to lend a local hand involving local churches and the local community.
The Itasca Community Outreach Team Food Festival and Sidewalk Chalk Art Fundraiser will be on a Saturday in June to raise base funds for our next family in need.
Vital statistics
Requests for help: Two to four per year
Budget: $4,000 to $8,000 annually
Funding: 100 percent from donations (now available through the website)
Full-time employees: 0
Volunteers: Four
Wish list: Great attendance at our summer fundraiser in June with food trucks and sidewalk chalk art squares to buy for the day
Donate: <a href="http://www.ItascaCares.org">ItascaCares.org</a>, click on “Donate” and then “Itasca Community Outreach Team”
Website: <a href="http://www.ItascaCares.org">ItascaCares.org</a>