Naperville Rotary Soup's On fundraiser helps needy

The impact of Soup's On!, the Rotary Club of Naperville's annual fall fundraiser, can be measured in the number of lives affected in these difficult economic times.

Proceeds from the soup-sampling event benefit Loaves and Fishes Community Food Pantry, DuPage PADS and Hesed House, whose missions are to alleviate hunger, poverty and homelessness in our local communities.

In the first three years of Soup's On!, the Rotary Club of Naperville donated more than $275,000 to the three charities. Organizers expect this year's event, on Sunday, Oct. 16, will raise an additional $120,000. This family-friendly event, running 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Tellabs Atrium, will feature a variety of foods from more than 30 local restaurants, as well as musical entertainment by local high school students, a children's activity area sponsored by the DuPage Children's Museum, and a silent auction.

Loaves and Fishes

“The creation of the Rotary Club's Soup's On! came just at the right time for our organization,” said Charles McLimans, Loaves and Fishes' executive director. “It coincided with the start of the recession as more and more clients came seeking help. It has sustained us through one of the greatest periods of client growth, and the proceeds have a huge impact because they come at our busiest time.”

The money buys groceries for holiday meals for Loaves and Fishes clients, including Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year Loaves and Fishes expects to distribute groceries for 4,000 holiday meals.

Since 2008, new family enrollments have risen by 86 percent, and the number of single moms with children by 143 percent.

“During these increasingly challenging times our funding has been reduced by local government, and USDA commodities (basics like soup, peanut butter, tuna and canned vegetables) have been cut by more than 70 percent,” McLimans said. “We need support more than ever as we continue to progress throughout the new year.”

In the 2011 fiscal year, Loaves and Fishes Community Pantry:

Ÿ Provided nourishment to 68,765 individuals in 19,341 distributions;

Ÿ Made 2,988 deliveries to homebound elderly and disabled residents;

Ÿ Supplied 20,540 students in kindergarten through high school with breakfast or lunch assistance;

Ÿ Provided 996 infants and 3,345 toddlers with baby food, formula and diapers; and

Ÿ Distributed more than 2.25 million pounds of groceries (equal to about $6.1 million retail).

DuPage PADS

DuPage PADS is dedicated to the idea that the solution to end homelessness is housing, coupled with support services and employment/education. The focus is to restore lives and move individuals and families back to a place they can call “home” again in our community. DuPage PADS is committed to ending homelessness in DuPage County.

“DuPage PADS is honored to be one of the recipients of the Soup's On! event,” Executive Director Carol Simler said. “That support provided interim (overnight) housing 365 nights last year for families and children; 106,981 meals were served, and 32,063 nights of shelter were provided; 1,238 men women and children were served, including 170 children, 71 percent under the age of 12. In addition, DuPage PADS is the largest provider of permanent supportive housing units, with 64 in DuPage County for individuals and families.”

Simler continued, “Eighty percent of those over age 17 participate in life empowerment services, including education and individual goal planning. As a result, 71 percent of job seekers obtained employment. DuPage PADS has partnerships with more than 50 health, legal and social service agencies. We partner with more than 130 congregations and have 4,000-plus volunteers.”

Last year, Soup's On! support helped provide life-empowerment services and transportation assistance. Families and children with challenging conditions were provided assistance. Soup's On! provided financial support for doctor co-pay payments, transportation from emergency rooms or sites when necessary, and appropriate clothing for job interviews.

Hesed House

Hesed House, an Aurora-based not-for-profit organization serving the Fox Valley area, is in its 28th year of sheltering and providing life-changing services to more than 400 homeless and severely marginalized individuals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Serving as a national model for its Public Action to Deliver Shelter (or PADS) program, shelter, case-management services and on-site collaborations with other social service agencies, Hesed House is the state of Illinois' largest shelter outside the city of Chicago in number of individuals served.

A new homeless person arrives at Hesed House's doors every 10.5 hours. On Aug. 30, Hesed House broke records for the number of men, women and children seeking shelter, food and services on one night — 214. PADS at Hesed House provides 3,146 meals and 1,085 nights of shelter each week.

“Despite these alarming numbers, we at Hesed House witness on a daily basis successes of individuals who are working with our case managers and other professionals — determined to regain their dignity and independence,” Executive Director Ryan Dowd said. “Every year that Hesed House has been blessed to be a beneficiary of the Soup's On! event, the proceeds have impacted the lives of hundreds of individuals. Those funds provide assistance in reaching their goals of finding jobs, accessing medical care and counseling, improving their education, accessing veterans benefits, and working toward residential stability. Last year's Soup's On! proceeds to Hesed House enabled 30 individuals to transition out of our shelter and transitional living community into their own homes.”

Dowd said Rotary Club of Naperville's generosity plays a major role in those accomplishments: 70 percent of TLC residents successfully complete programs and acquire housing within 18 months; 75 percent of residents enroll in classes for higher education, GED or ESL within six months; 85 percent of adults enroll in job-skills training, successfully completing the program and going on to find jobs. Eighty faith-based communities and 6,000 volunteers from varied backgrounds — some with their church, others with co-workers, retirees and entire families — provide compassion and hope every day of the year.

PADS at Hesed House, the program originator and national model for other organizations with PADS programs, started in six Aurora church halls in the early 1980s and has evolved into a multifaceted campus composed of a 40,000-square-foot shelter and transitional living community and a 40,000-square foot Comprehensive Homeless Resource Center within footsteps of the shelter. In addition to collaborations with social service agency representatives on-site at Hesed House, it also hosts a homeless medical clinic two days a week and has ongoing relationships with local universities for children's programming, teen mentoring and adult literacy.

For information about these three charities, visit: www.soupsonrotary.com and click on their links. Information about the Soup's On! event and tickets is also available on this website.

If you go

What: Soup's On fundraiser

Why: Proceeds benefit three local organizations that provide food, shelter and other services to those in financial need

When: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16

Where: Tellabs Atrium, 1415 W. Diehl Road, Naperville

Tickets: $45 adults, $35 seniors, $10 ages 6 to 15, free for younger children

Info: <a href="http://www.soupsonrotary.com">www.soupsonrotary.com</a>