Hesed House celebrates 25 years serving homeless
Nancy Manzie has volunteered at the homeless shelter in Hesed House in Aurora for 17 years.
The co-coordinator of a group of volunteers from St. Raphael Church in Naperville, Manzie said a number of her fellow workers also have made long-term commitments to the shelter.
"You arrive for many reasons and the guests bring everybody back," Manzie said. "You would be impressed with how much humor there is. I've learned lessons in spirituality, generosity, faith and acceptance."
Hesed House officials hope a 25th anniversary open house on Sunday will interest more people like Manzie in volunteering.
"It's really hard to comprehend what happens at Hesed House without physically seeing the building. It's usually an eye-opener," said Ryan Dowd, executive director of Hesed House and the Public Action to Deliver Shelter program it houses.
"People expect a building that is dark and depressing," he said. "We don't fit any of that."
Tours will be given of Hesed House, which shelters about 1,000 people a year from southern Kane County and all of Kendall County. In addition to the overnight shelter that operates all year, Hesed House serves the homeless through a daytime drop-in center, transitional living community, one-on-one case management, job coaching and volunteer medical and legal clinics.
Hesed House also houses the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry and Aurora Soup Kitchen, programs that reach beyond the homeless. The food pantry serves 14,000 people a month and the soup kitchen serves lunches to as many as 300 people Mondays and Fridays, according to the Hesed House Web site.
The shelter started 25 years ago by providing overnight accommodations to one homeless person at Holy Angels Church in Aurora.
To mark that event, Dowd and several board members and staff were spending 24 hours outdoors on the streets from 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. today. Prior to the opening of Hesed House, the homeless would have had no place else to go, Dowd said.
Spearheaded by Sister Rose Marie Lorentzen, the shelter was named Hesed, a Hebrew word referring to God's unconditional love that seeks justice for those who are less fortunate.
Some of the homeless guests have jobs. Others are underage.
"There is definitely a long-term trend of more families and children," Dowd said.
Forty-one full- and part-time staff and 6,000 volunteers man the shelter and related programs for the homeless. The food pantry has 2½ staff and 50 volunteers, and the soup kitchen one paid staff member and several hundred volunteers, Dowd said.
Dowd said more groups are needed to staff the shelter. Most do it once a month or every other month, he said.
Manzie said the group from St. Raphael's comes the fourth Thursday of the month and provides dinner for the guests.
"We plan for 175 and up," she said. "Each year we see increases."
St. Raphael volunteers also play bingo with the guests, provide overnight staff and prepare breakfast and sack lunches the next day. Smaller volunteer groups might share the commitment, Manzie said.
"Hesed House is extremely flexible," she said. "It's really adaptable to the type of commitment a person wants to make."
If you go
What:Hesed House's 25th anniversary open house
When:1 to 4 p.m. Sunday
Where:Hesed House, 659 S. River St., Aurora
Info:(630) 897-2165 or hesedhouse.org