Volunteers, gift donations needed this holiday season
The Humanitarian Service Project, a Carol Stream nonprofit, is calling for donations of new Christmas presents as well as volunteers' time, to ensure that more than 1,200 low-income children will receive gifts from Santa this year, in DuPage and Kane counties.
Families served in HSP programs live below the federal poverty level and without the organizations help, these families will not be able to provide Christmas gifts for their children. HSP's Christmas Offering program, which was the foundation of the organization in 1979, also provides 3 weeks of groceries to 100 low-income families over the holiday season, and needs financial sponsors to help meet this year's goal.
The most rewarding way to make a difference this holiday season is to offer your time. HSP is in need of volunteers all through December to make sure underprivileged children, seniors, and families can create a special holiday memory.
Some specific dates coming up are Sunday, Dec. 11 to help sort and pack wrapped gifts for needy children. Volunteers this day will need to stay the entire time from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 13 is also in need of more volunteers to help deliver gifts to the seniors in the area. There are time slots available on this day from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
If these options do not fit your schedule, there are many more similar opportunities for volunteers from Dec. 12-23, so make sure to call and reserve a time slot as soon as possible!
In addition, HSP invites individuals and groups to participate in our Giving Tree program. Donors for this program will receive information about a specific child including his or her age, gender, and a list of suggested age-appropriate gifts. Parents call in to HSP's office daily to put their children on the waiting list for gifts. With your help we can make sure that each and every child receives a special gift. Donors will buy at least one present at a minimum of $25, wrap it, and deliver it to HSP by December 16th. Interested parties can also donate NEW, unwrapped toys, games, and stuffed animals without getting a specific child from the list. The greatest need is gifts appropriate for children ages 8-15.
HSP's Christmas Offering also needs financial donations to purchase food items for 100 families, furnishing up to a three-week supply of groceries including 15-19 options of fresh produce, 7 frozen meats, and a turkey as well as the giving tree gifts for each child in the family. Sponsor one family for $60, two families for $120, three families for $180, or four families for $240. Donations of non-perishable food are also welcome and can be delivered to HSP through December.
HSP invites the community to share the true meaning of Christmas with these families, who cannot otherwise afford to celebrate the holidays. Karole Kettering, Founder/Executive Director, says, “By contributing to our Christmas Offering, people are sure to make a difference in the lives of those living under the constraints of poverty at a time that can be particularly stressful for them.”
For more information about all of these volunteer opportunities, contact HSP at: phone 630-221-8340, e-mail hsp@humanitarianservice.org, or visit www.humanitarianservice.org.
About HSP
Founded in 1979, HSP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which serves the most vulnerable of the poor, children and seniors, in DuPage and Kane counties through four programs. The Senior Citizen Project currently provides 120 seniors with a monthly delivery of fresh produce, nonperishable groceries, Secret Pal gifts, and personal care items. The Christmas Offering provided 12 tons of toys to 1,263 children in 2009. The Children's Birthday Project puts together a 25-pound birthday package with new wrapped toys, books, school supplies, and ingredients for a birthday party for poverty-level children ages 3-12 to make their day special and to help bolster their self-esteem at an age when they are still impressionable. Feed the Kids supplements the summertime diets of children who receive subsidized meals at school, which provide most of their daily nutrition.