HCS Family Services

Empowering Families. Changing Lives.

Private: News & Events

HCS Blues, Brews & Barbecue

Building on the success of last year’s sold-out event, the second annual Blues, Brews & Barbecue fundraiser for HCS Family Services is set for Sunday, Nov. 3, from 4 – 7 p.m. at the Community House in Hinsdale.

Blues Brews Barbeque 2019 poster

The event promises fun for the whole family and will feature barbecue from Sweet Baby Rays, brews from Motor Row Brewery, and the music of The Original Chicago Blues All-Stars.

Sponsorships are available to help defray the cost of the event so more of the proceeds go to feeding our hungry neighbors. 

For sponsorship and ticket information, visit https://squareup.com/store/hcs-family-services

Generous sponsors have underwritten all event costs, so 100% of your ticket price directly funds our two food pantries.

HCS Family Services is more than a food pantry

Sara Clarkson from Pioneer Press stopped by recently and wrote a wonderful article about how we serve the Hinsdale area.

Stan Cook photo by Sara Clarkson
Stan Cook photo by Sara Clarkson

Here’s a snippet of what she had to say:

I was impressed. Attractive shelving held baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables. In lit refrigerators were milk, eggs, cheese and yogurt. Freezers held labeled packages of meat.

There was a whole section for rice and beans and pasta, and another section with some treats, doughnuts, cookies and the like, but the colorful fruits and vegetables and the inviting and functional layout of the food pantry — yes, food pantry — in the basement of Hinsdale’s Memorial Building was impressive.

Natural light flooded the space, giving it a sense of hope and purpose for the people who use it.

Read the Full Article at ChicagoTribune.com

High School Students Raise Awareness, Funds

HCS Junior Board Meeting

Fifty teens came to learn how they can help raise awareness and funding for HCS Family Services while gaining valuable leadership skills.

“The dynamic and passionate 2019 – 2020 Junior Board Executive Team worked together over the summer setting their own visions and goals for the Interest Meeting and upcoming year,” said HCS Family Services Board Member Pam Garvin, noting that the exceptional turn out at the informational meeting is a prelude to what will be a very successful year for these young leaders.

The HCS Family Services Junior Board started five years ago. In that time, the group of young adults has raised significant funding for our food pantries. Last year alone, the group raised $17,500 through events and activities, such as an annual paper shredding event, the Neighbors Helping Neighbors event held at Vistro, and more.

“The Junior Board has given a refreshing young vibe to HCS Family Services, adding to their success both raising awareness and raising funds,” Garvin stated.

The group’s first event for the 2019-20 school year will be a food drive at Kramer Food Store, located at Grant Square in Hinsdale, on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The first official Junior Board meeting of the year will be held on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Building in Hinsdale. All high school students are welcome to attend.

Gratitude for Grants

HCS Family Services is grateful for the support of many local community organizations that provide funding and support for our services.  Here are a few recent examples:

The Robert and Laurie McMahon Family Fund of the DuPage Foundation funded the purchase of 20 new shopping carts for the Hinsdale pantry to replace those that were breaking down. Our goal is to provide a comfortable shopping experience for our guests. The carts make it easy for our guests to select groceries and transport them throughout the pantry, up the elevator from our basement pantry and to their cars. Our Hinsdale pantry location is projected to serve 875 families representing approximately 3000 individuals in 2019.

We were the recipient of two generous grants for our school-based food pantry at Anne M. Jeans Elementary School. Both Community Memorial Foundation and the DuPage Human Services Grant Fund provided funding to HCS Family Services that will be used to grow the pantry by offering more nutritious foods like milk and eggs, and supporting our Food Rescue program so more food can be collected from our local retailers.

Recognizing that good nutrition is critical to the physical, intellectual and emotional development of children, HCS Family Services first established a food pantry at the elementary school in 2016.

Last year, the Anne M. Jeans Elementary School pantry made 8,390 food donations to 375 families in need.

How do you coordinate a fundraiser?

By Ken Knutson

Joining the HCS Family Services Junior Board two years ago was a chance to meet people for teen Peter Hughes, having recently returned to Hinsdale.

Now a Hinsdale Central senior, his main objective is helping residents of DuPage County meet their basic needs as chairperson of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors benefit April 11 at Vistro (see Page 20 for details). The second annual event, in which a portion of the restaurant’s proceeds as well as other charitable gifts will support HCS’s two local food pantries, was actually cooked up by Hughes when he was the board’s liaison.

“I had to communicate ideas we had at the board with other people {in the community) at schools and businesses,” said Hughes, who has ascended to co-president of the board this year.

A personal connection with Paul Virant, chef-owner of Vistro and a Hinsdale resident, inspired the idea for the fundraiser.

“It seemed like a good opportunity, and Paul was very helpful in wanting to work \ th us,” Hughes said.

He had never taken on such a task before, however, and sluggish participation initially caused consternation. To Hughes’ relief, reservations picked up as the day approached.

“Our goal last year was $1,000 in donations,” he said. “We ended up raising over $6,000. That’s all because people were \1lling to give and be generous.”

Assistance from fellow board members and friends were vital, Hughes stressed. And he ascribed the success to presenting guests with lists itemizing specific staple groceries they were providing to needy families.

“It was a way that people could see directly where their money was going,” said Hughes, adding that the concept\ be expanded this year.

Hughes also learned the value of perseverance in enlisting resources and coordinating the logistics.

“Ideas are great, but they only have value if you put work into them,” he said. “To make some-thing a reality, you have to put a lot of work into it.

“At first it can seem kind of daunting, but as you start working on a project you begin to realize that people want you to succeed,” Hughes remarked.

He recalled the mantra from the school he attended as freshman: “Lift while you climb.” Having young people lead the lifting is especially meaningful, Hughes suggested.

“It helps those our age realize that the way we live life is very privileged and comes with a responsibility to help others,” he said.

Hughes, who will head to Holy Cross College in the fall to study environmental engineering and compete on the rowing team, is confident junior board members coming after will pick up the baton.

“I want to establish this (event) so that it’s something that will continue for the next few years, at least,” he said. “It’s good to know that what I’m doing is helping to make it easier for other people to move on with their lives. It’s good to know that we as an organization are lightening the load that a lot of these families have economically.”

See Original Article