Dear HUMC Members and Friends,
As this Christmas season arrives, it offers us an opportunity to demonstrate the impact Jesus has had on our lives by sharing some of the gifts we’ve been given with others in need. The Missions Work Area has designated the following organizations as recipients of this year’s Christmas Appeal:
DUPAGE PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) Our 36-year ministry to the homeless with the PADS program evolved as PADS acquired a permanent location for its Interim Housing Center (IHC) in 2022—a repurposed hotel in Downers Grove. The IHC serves 300 guests including over 100 children, and our volunteers deliver donated meals, fruit, and drinks to them on a monthly basis. Despite requiring fewer volunteers compared to the pre-pandemic service model, our mission through PADS remains vibrant and vital. Since opening the IHC, PADS has seen significant client successes: an 80% decrease in mental health incidents, a 75% decrease in physical health incidents, 136 children registered for school, and overall increased access to supportive services due to the stability, privacy, and security the IHC offers—a huge success in the mission to end homelessness.
HCS FAMILY SERVICES For over 20 years, May has been HUMC's collection month for HCS Family Services. Going forward, we will continue our support as part of the Christmas Appeal. Founded in 1937, HCS Family Services is a compassionate not-for-profit working to prevent food insecurity and improve the quality of life for people in need across southeast DuPage and far western Cook Counties, where one in six children faces hunger. DuPage County is one of the wealthiest counties in Illinois, but it is also home to the second largest food-insecure population in the state. More than 400 people seek HCS’s help weekly. Last year, HCS provided nearly 600,000 pounds of food – the equivalent of 500,000 meals. HCS recognizes that nutrition is the foundation of good health and well-being, and their client-choice food pantry model allows people to select foods that best fit their dietary needs and customs. Food pantries in Hinsdale and Willowbrook offer a variety of nutritious produce, milk, eggs, canned and dry goods, meat, and refrigerated and frozen foods, as well as diapers, paper goods and personal care items. HCS relies on 400 volunteers, and local retail partners donate more than 400,000 pounds of food through the Food Rescue program. HCS also purchases food at the Northern Illinois Food Bank, where every $1.00 donated to HCS allows them to purchase $8.00 worth of food.
MYSI Since its founding by a group of Methodists in 1965, MYSI has continued to strengthen lives, provide help, and create hope for children, adults, and families within Cook County and its surrounding communities. Formerly known as Methodist Youth Services, MYSI is a licensed, accredited non-profit child welfare agency providing residential shelter care, outpatient community-based mental health services, psychiatric medication monitoring and evaluations, clinical case management, counseling, and advocacy referral support for over 150 participants annually. MYSI provides the highest quality services to empower clients to live and work as independently as possible.
GRACE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, HAITI Haiti remains a country of profound challenges, and the economic, social, and political problems faced by residents have only grown more acute in 2024. Grace Children’s Hospital in Port Au Prince, founded in 1967, provides life-saving care and health service outreach to its impoverished community while never turning a child or family away regardless of ability to pay. HUMC has been a Cornerstone Supporter of Grace Children’s Hospital for over 25 years. The hospital is recognized as Hai’s leading medical facility dedicated to the treatment of children with tuberculosis (TB), treating thousands of children each year who are suffering from TB, HIV, and other diseases. Children who are seriously ill are admitted to the inpatient ward, receiving constant care from the hospital’s all-Haitian sta. Children and adults can be treated at one of the hospital’s many outpatient clinics, and people living in nearby slums receive vaccinations, prenatal care, and basic health services from trained community health workers right in their own neighborhoods. Though threats of gang violence, disease outbreak, natural disaster, and limited access to basic necessities are ever-present, Grace Children’s Hospital steadfastly continues providing critical care to Hai’s most vulnerable. Please prayerfully consider supporting PADS, HCS Family Services, MYSI, and Grace Children’s Hospital with a gift to the HUMC Christmas Offering. To donate, please make your check payable to HUMC with “Christmas Appeal” on the memo line, or visit our website through the button below.
Your support is greatly appreciated.
Kristi Chadwick
Missions Work Area