Hope and Friendship COVID 19 Relief Outreach Updated

Monday March 30th-

For 15 years I have tried to do everything short of an Irish Jig to get
hands and feet to join us in our outreaches, and now I have to say "I'm
sorry but I can't use your offer of help."

I am so humbled and grateful to our Lemont community who has supported
our outreach with such generosity, and all so many have been supporters
by sharing all of the information on how to help.

With the intensity of the virus and the numbers that will mount with the
tests becoming available we will/are a hot spot in this corner of the
world. With that being said I am communicating what the plan is for
now, knowing that tomorrow it could change.

I have relocated our storage area so as not to expose any other workers
to the donations and have to limit to very few that can help me.

We will have to try a drive by pick up of our next round of relief bags, so as not to have people within 6 feet of each other.

I am taking donations from the boxes, spraying the donations, and letting them sit.

I am following every protocol that is required by those who are offering
pick up or delivery of our food, and following the advice from
instruction being sent to non-profits and organizations on how to safely
continue to assist the homes in dire need.

Everyone who is still trying to provide basic needs is doing so in every realm of safety that we possibly can.
With that being said I must involve less and ask for more.

I am trying very hard to involve as many as I safely can. I encourage
you to encourage your young people to write notes to those who are now
home bound and alone or sick or feeling lonely. Those messages are a
glimmer of light in a very dark storm.

If there are spots you can fill in the following link, than great.
However, please do not feel you need to sign up for anything.
At this time the responsibility of being home, being teacher, working from
the dining room table, not having a routine and not being able to
interact with others is enough to break the strongest warrior. Your
family is the #1 priority. This will get done for as long as it is able
to be offered.
https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/3241490/false#/invitation

Our donations have been amazing.

I
spent this afternoon hauling donations to our new storage location
(thanks to the Gricus family). It took 2 full truck loads (in full
size cab and bed) and 2 full Trailblazer loads. YOU have provided
exactly donations we need: fresh food (meat, eggs, milk, bread, lunch
meat), cleaning products, paper products, personal care,
non-perishable items (canned meat, pancake mix- add water only,
microwavable items, juice, etc.).

Gelsosomo's Pizzeria is accepting all of our donations (fresh food, cleaning
products, paper products, personal care items, non-perishable food, gift
cards and monetary donations) from 11am-7pm, 7 days a week.

I am planning on the next relief bag drop to be on this Wednesday. I
hope to have relief bag drops every Wednesday, however, that might be
scratched if people don't stay home and the numbers rise high enough to
cause enforcement of even more restrictions and closing of
restaurants.

#stayhome to help others be safe, healthy and get help!!!

If all of our efforts for relief bags have to be ceased than our focus will shift to gift cards for those struggling without to be able to get what they need on their own if they are able (many are without transportation).

With that being said please remember to thank your food
store employees. Never in a gazillion years did they think they would
be taking the same risks as first responders.

If you have any questions please text me, email me, or call me (but I don't get to answer my phone all day long).

I am thankful for you. I look forward to giving you a HUGE bear hug when
it is safe to do so and I have awoken every morning thanking God for
putting me here in this corner of the world with such incredible walking
angels.

Revised flyers are attached.

Side note....if April 30th is our release date I see the best attended Mission Stay Saturday that we've ever had :-)

Dreaming of being hands, feet and hearts outside and hugging!!!

Wishing you peace, blessings and health,
Terri

Wednesday March 25th-

In the last 4 days as a team we have....

*rallied donations of much needed cleaning products (those hard to find
disinfectants are gold!) and paper products (that toilet paper is worth
a gazillion!!!), and personal care items and had kind volunteers move
the donations to the Lemont Police Department drop site
*friends throughout our community. as well as businesses and our Lemont Police
Department, have been hosting drop bins and made it convenient to drop
off your #plusone donations (buy one extra item to help a home
struggling to survive through this crisis - you are 11 days in on this
one my friends- you acted immediately upon my first request and haven't
stopped!!!)
*received the most amazingly generous donation of
refrigerator space of a closed restaurant so that we can collect much
needed and hard to find/afford fresh foods: eggs, milk, ground beef,
meats, lunch meat and bread (immense thank you to the Gricus family and offering their businesses- Gelsosomo's & Digs- to help those struggling through this storm.

*delivered 65 fresh meal offerings from a local restaurant owner to

homes struggling for food and for a sighting of hope (they had the smell
and taste of it!!)
*gifted #plusone dinners by pre-paying at a local restaurant and allowing a dinner to be delivered to a home that would have not afforded a dinner out before and most definitely could not afford a restaurant dinner now
*donated food items that will be delivered to both of our Lemont Food Pantries to help refill the shelves as we support our pantries in their untiring effort to continue to meet the needs of our Lemont Pantry clients
*answered the calls of seniors who responded to our "letter in their mailbox invite" to do their shopping and prescription pick up helping to keep them home, safe and well
*received the most generous donation from School District 113A lunch service of 50 lunches and put them in homes that were not already receiving their free lunch service (more
than 160 lunches from School District 113A alone have been given each of the past few days)
*shopped on Amazon via the link created by Lemont Calvary Church and had your generous #plusone donations arrive at my door (my neighbors will surely be messaging Terry soon telling him I must assuredly have an Amazon addiction!!!) https://www.amazon.com/…/…/ls/285TQBER3MHMQ/ref=cm_go_nav_hz
*received the shopping assistance from friends of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Lemont offering the fresh food donations we need, and more
*received gift cards to help meet the needs that we are short on and the specific hard to find needs

*had amazingly kind volunteers call more than 120 homes that are struggling here and now, (homes that we have visited for Christmas Dinner Deliveries, opened the door to winter clothing give away, and assisted in the past with crisis funds) reaching out to check on how they are doing, what can we do better, and what can we offer to help them ride through this storm. The time offered in making these calls and being that compassionate ear on the other end of the line is a
priceless gift that will not be forgotten. In fact most all of them said they would welcome future well-being calls and appreciated the call today <3

I think I have captured most of the outreaches from the past few days...we are 11 days into Hope and Friendship Foundation's COVID 19 relief outreach, and as we all know we are far from the end. It will get tougher, but you have demonstrated that we keep rising higher than our greatest challenge. We are tougher than snot my friends!!!!! I am humbled to walk with you my friends. I am surrounded by walking angels and I thank God every single day, all through the day, for all of
you.
For the first time in 15 years I have to turn away hands on volunteers. This breaks my heart because usually I am begging for your hands, feet and hearts to join with me on this mission. Please know that I would stand next to any and every one of you to commit these acts
of kindness but we need to #stayhome #respectsafespace #minimizecontact

We have been doing just this and still making amazing ripples because you are providing the means for the relief. Your efforts on our #plusoneoutreach will be the light and love that a home that is quickly losing hope. Thank you for offering what you can as you are able. Thank you
for putting smiles on very stressed faces and lifting the spirits of many who are struggling to rise from this life blow. You are my heroes.
#walkingangels in #ourcorneroftheworld
#thankyoutimesagazillion
#bethechange #wewillallmakeitthroughthistogether #ittakesavillage #VillageofLemont #hopeandfriendshipfoundation
Thank you times a gazillion my friends,
Terri
Terri@hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com
www.hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com

Sunday March 22nd-

We've hit the ground running making sure we get through this together....

Heading into week two of this health crisis, and you will not be stopped. Look at the offering of amazing walking angels….

You have rallied donations of cleaning products, paper products
and food for those in our community who have been left without income
due to this shut down.

This is not the time to stop….this is a time to call on more to join us in
making ripples. We started the ball rolling and within the 1st week met
many needs, but we were not able to assist all of the needs.

Can you simply offer a “plus one”?

Purchase for your household and offer “plus one” for a household literally struggling to survive.

What can I offer?- What your home needs, their home needs-

Gold food items: canned meat; canned pasta/meals; juice and/or water;
canned or package fruit; granola/breakfast/protein bars; microwavable
meals/items; baking mix- add water only; syrup

(food donations will be assisting to refill the depleted shelves of our two
pantries for as long as they are able to stay open and food will be
delivered to those who are qualified for free/reduced lunch/pantry but
cannot visit to be assisted during the pantry hours) As always, we are
working to assist our pantries, and working with our school districts,
and churches, to continue to be a vital lifeline for our most struggling
residents

Gold household needs: toilet paper or any & every paper product;
disinfectant sprays and/or wipes; personal care items (deodorant,
razors, hair/face care, etc.); laundry detergent; baby/body wipes;
dental care products; bars of soap or liquid soap

Shop from home for “gold Items” via our Amazon Link set up by Calvary Church, Lemont: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/285TQBER3MHMQ/ref=cm_go_nav_hz

Fresh Food Donations- Milk, Eggs, Ground Beef, Chicken, Lunch Meat, Bread- Drop off to
Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria, 206 Main St., Downtown Lemont, 11am-7pm- 7 days a
week. We are rallying funds to pay you back for your purchase. (thank
you to Emmanuel Baptist Church friends and other donors for providing
funds to pay for this!!) The employees at Gelsosomo’s will pay you for
what you purchase with proof of receipt. We just need your help to help
other homes, we don’t expect you to hurt your home finances to help
another.

Offer a “Plus One” meal- If you are ordering out, tell the business you want
to add a meal that you want Hope and Friendship Foundation to deliver to
a family in need here in our corner of the world. That meal will be
delivered to a home here within our arm’s reach who would have struggled
to afford a dinner out prior to this situation, and most definitely
would not be able to have now. We have delivered more than 50 dinners
this week to homes that are huddled in trying to see the light in the
storm. You have been it.

Encouraging/Uplifting/inspirational notes- I promise you I have put every single
note offered into a set of hands that needs this love and light. DO NOT
underestimate the power of a positive thought in a time of stress,
strain and unknown. Notes from our kids are so very appreciated, yet
every note lifts these struggling hearts and spirits!!! Drop notes off
at any of the donation sites listed below.

Gift Cards- to any of our food stores, Dollar Store, Target, Walgreens/CVS,
gas cards, can be dropped off to the blue Hope and Friendship Foundation
bin located at Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria, 206 Main St., Downtown Lemont,
11am-7pm- 7 days a week.

Where can I drop these off?

Lemont Police Department –drop bin is in entry way and available 24/7;
Gelsosomo’s Pizzeria – drop off for non-perishables, personal and
cleaning items, notes, gift cards and fresh food offerings); Calvary
Church 1275 State St.; Blue the Trailblazer in Terri’s driveway- 721
Hickory St; Village Hall entryway- 418 Main St.;

Bins also available for your convenience at: 6 E. Logan; 24 W. Logan; 12473 Briarcliffe Dr.; and 413 4th St..

When do I need to donate by?

Today, tomorrow, any day going forward. As long as your household is riding
through this crisis so is another right here, right now. Your extreme
generosity in offering “plus one”. will make the difference between
surviving or being steamrolled by this crisis.

Letters have been put at the homes of seniors in our community offering the
opportunity for "personal shoppers" to assist them with the needs they
might have without the risk of them going out into the stores. We have
volunteers doing the shopping, prescription purchasing, and errand
running for seniors who need to stay home. If you know of a senior you
would like to extend this offer to please email me and I will drop off a
letter or email you one for you to offer forward.

We will ALL get through this….together.

Thank you a gazillion fold on behalf of all of the friends of Hope and Friendship Foundation, those that can help and those that have been, are being, and will be helped.

Wishing you peace, love and health my friend,

Terri

Email- terri@hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com

Website- www.hopeandfriendshipfoundation.com

Hope and Friendship Foundation

721 Hickory St, Lemont, IL 60439 630-816-4972

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who
are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the
poor and needy.” ~ Proverbs 31: 8-9