Youth United Way Wraps Up a Positive 2009

Youth United Way is an active group of local high school students with a vested interest in honing boardmanship skills and learning about their charitable community.  The group, started in 1997, works with local social service agencies to plan and implement service projects.  Planning takes place at monthly board meetings, which are student-run.  The students are responsible for all aspects of their projects and are supported behind-the scenes by sponsor Judy Cabrera and others who help them develop their philanthropic goals.

Youth United Way volunteers each week at the Community Crisis Center to read to children, play games, and tutor while the moms in the shelter attend sessions.  Additionally, they have carried out many larger service projects, including:

• Donating $500 worth of diapers to the Community Crisis Center and helping with their annual auction in March.

• Helping coordinate, promote, and staff the Frock Swap in August

• Stuffing envelopes for U-46’s United Way Campaign in September

• Setting up for Centro de Informacion’s auction in October

• Participating in the Community Crisis Center outdoor clean-up

• Holding a cookie bake for the soup kitchen for which they baked and bagged 1,000 cookies

• Holding a food drive for the Community Crisis Center and Salvation Army in November, which resulted in 3 van-loads of food

• Helping with the Community Crisis Center’s Toy Give-Away, including shopping for $1,000 worth of toys, setting-up the Hemmens Center, and staffing the give-away.

In 2010, the Youth United Way members are looking forward to planning a wide-range of new service activities.  They are currently looking for ways to help raise money for runner Bruce Johnson, who will run across the United States as a fundraiser for the Crisis Center.  They are planning a kickoff event on January 8th, featuring a band composed of group president George Rapidis and YUW members, Brandon Couture and Chaz Sirridge called “The Reverends.” The event will be 7-11pm at Douglas Street Sports Bar & Grill.

Salvation Army Begins Taking Applications for the Angel Giving Tree Program

The Salvation Army began taking applications for those wishing to be placed on the Angel Giving Tree beginning November 2^nd and will continue to take applications through the 6^th. Interested persons can apply by filling out an application and bringing the following items:

• Photo ID
• Proof of any income from people 18 years and older
• Birth certificate for any kids under the age of 12

Applications will be accepted from 9:00 a.m. until noon and 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. daily until November 6^th at the Elgin Corps Community Center located at 316 Douglas Avenue in Elgin.

The Salvation Army Angel Giving Tree is a program that allows people to provide children and seniors in need with holiday gifts. This year, there is also an online Angel Giving Tree program presented by JCPenney. This program allows people across the country to adopt Angels from a local community through a website at jcp.com/angel. After an Angel is chosen, an email is sent containing all of the necessary details to help the Angel. This will include the list of needs and wants and information regarding where to ship or deliver the gifts to local Salvation Army destinations. For more information, visit the website.

Demand still high at local nonprofit agencies

Recently, the Courier News has run a few articles focusing on some of the agencies we at United Way of Elgin support. Both articles center around the increased demand that started last year and currently remains just as high. With the economy just starting to turn, it seems it will be a while before these service agencies can start to balance out and return to more “normal” levels, or at least pre-recession levels.

Some highlighted facts from the articles:

• PADS provides meals and emergency housing for an average 40 to 55 Elgin area men, women and children each night.
• The fastest growing segment of shelter users at PADS is children.
• The homeless liaison at U46 has worked with 250 students this year, which is 110 more than last year, and last year’s numbers included flood victims—this year there have been no such natural disaster causes.
• 60 percent of the adults that PADS assists are “working poor”– men and women who, when at the shelter, get up early, help clean and then go to their jobs
• From January through July, the Crisis Center handed out more food than it did in the previous 12 months.
• The crisis center shelters about 40 women and children a night, with the average stay about 15 days per guest.
• 35-45 families a week get food from Two Rivers Head Start
• The Salvation Army recently experienced its largest-ever number for requests in a single day, 172, and had to turn 4-5 families away.
• The Salvation Army and other agencies are working toward the possibility of opening a food warehouse specifically to supply Elgin and South Elgin pantries.

The full articles can be read here:

Season of Need, A challenging winter ahead for agencies that help the homeless

Pantries Brace for Shortage of Food

If you’d like to help, a few volunteer opportunities are listed below. Click the link to sign up or find out more information:

Food Sorting and Distribution, Salvation Army, every Thursday and Friday to sort, pack and deliver food to needy families.

Reruns too, Resale Shop, Community Crisis Center, accept donations, assist customers, and organize merchandise.

Lobby Assistant, Community Crisis Center, Assist mornings in the lobby by greeting guests, filling food bags, handing out coats, hats, gloves and diapers. Providing a much needed smile!

Volunteer at an Emergency Shelter, PADS of Elgin, Distribute linens and food, help check guests, and assist in other shelter activities.

Salvation Army’s Golden Diners helps prevent senior malnutrition

According to the Salvation Army Golden Diner’s Program, as people age, those living alone often find preparing meals for one person to be difficult. Those with low income are apt to skip meals in order to pay their other bills. Some facts:

• Malnutrition occurs too frequently in seniors, even though it is preventable
• Poverty and isolation increase the risk of malnutrition in the elderly
• About 85% of older Americans have chronic disease that could be helped by nutritional intervention
• Malnutrition significantly increases hospital stays and direct medical costs
• Malnutrition is a major factor in re-admission to hospitals
• Many seniors eat less than 3 meals a day
• Most seniors are taking multiple prescription medications which can restrict the kinds of food they can eat. Some seniors have tooth or mouth problems that make chewing difficult.

Because of all this, the Salvation Army Golden Diners program provides nutritious meals to seniors, both in a social lunch setting and home delivery for seniors who are homebound. Meals cost seniors $3.50 (suggested donation), although no one is turned away due to an inability to contribute. In Elgin, the program is held at Senior Service Associates, at 101 South Grove St. in Downtown Elgin. Lunch is served on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at noon. And on Monday and Thursday, they can even play bingo beforehand at 10AM.

For more information on the program, check out our website. Also, a sample menu can be downloaded here.

Hungry kids? Not this summer. Free lunch program.

It’s summer, which means fun and relaxation for many families, but also a greater expense, since school lunch programs are no longer available. In light of the tough economy, The City of Elgin and some local nonprofits, including Northern Illinois Food Bank, Salvation Army, and local churches are providing a free lunch program for kids 17 and under.

Lunch is served between 11AM and 1Pm at various locations, and kids don’t have to show an ID or prove a minimum income requirement. They just have to be under 17 and hungry! Food offered will be nutritious. There will be 50 meals at 13 locations to begin with, so 650 meals being served per day.

For more details, call (847) 741-2304.

The locations for the Children’s Summer Nutrition Program are:

Golden Diners Program for seniors: cheap way to dine out, good company

A lot of seniors live independently in Elgin and the surrounding area. Picture all the folks 60+ who live on their own, are retired, and are perfectly active and enjoy taking care of themselves. They also might not mind cooking or making their own meals, but it can get old! And dining out more often can become expensive and pricey.

The Salvation Army Golden Diners program, one of United Way of Elgin’s Impact Programs can combat that. For just a $3.50 suggested donation, seniors have the opportunity for a hot meal served every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at noon — and they can enjoy it in the company of other local seniors.

The program is great, as it offers a break from isolation, and studies show that seniors who get out and are more active are able to live independently for longer. They also can enjoy Bingo on Mondays and Thursdays before the meal at 10AM.

For more information on the program, check out our website. Also, a sample menu from this month can be downloaded here.

In addition, the Golden Diners program serves meals Monday through Friday to 140 seniors who are shut-in in the Elgin area. Seniors can be connected with this program after an at-home visit from Senior Service Associates. Call 800-339-3200 for more information.