Hope-Filled Organizations (Part 2)

Meeting Our Community’s Needs – Neighbor to Neighbor

Since 1975, People’s Resource Center (PRC) has been bringing neighbors together to respond to hunger and poverty in DuPage County.

Nearly 26,000 DuPage residents rely on PRC for help each year. We offer nutritious food and other basic necessities like clothes and rent assistance for neighbors in need.  PRC also connects people with resources — education and tutoring, jobs, technology, art, a caring community–to create a future of hope and opportunity for all.

PRC provides these services because of the generosity and support from our neighbors. More than 2,600 volunteers work with our talented staff offering time, skills, and resources to help our clients and their families. Supporters contribute food, clothing, books, computers, and financial support to help us do our important work.

Our Mission: The People’s Resource Center community exists to respond to basic human needs, promote dignity and justice, and create a future of hope and opportunity for the residents of DuPage County, Illinois. To learn more about the People’s Resource Center programs, click on this link: https://www.peoplesrc.org/who-we-are/

One creative and non-typical program that the PRC offers is Care for Cars.

Reliable transportation has consistently been a barrier for PRC neighbors to improve their situations, secure employment and to care for their families.  In DuPage County, public transportation options are limited by schedule and location.  Families and individuals are highly reliant on access to working vehicles to take care of their needs.

Care for Cars is a program of People’s Resource Center in partnership with the private sector, working together to provide affordable car repair for low income residents in order to conduct job searches or retain employment.

We are a small, passionate, Chicago-based organization that believes in the healing power of music. Sharing Notes musicians have been performing in Chicago hospitals since 2012, with nearly 700 performances given to date.

Music creates a sense of belonging and participation. It is an antidote to the growing sense of alienation and isolation now that we are being asked to actively practice social distancing. Social distancing and geographical isolation do not have to result in social loneliness. Music is a social balm for soothing anxiety, offering much needed consolation and enhancing community connections. Music can restore balance and reduce suffering. A study in the Journal of Advanced Nursing found that listening to music can reduce chronic pain up to 21% and depression by up to 25%. Studies have linked music to lowering blood pressure and anxiety in hospital patients.

Sharing Notes' mission is to improve quality of life for Chicago hospital patients through intimate, engaging and uplifting live music performances. Because Chicago hospitals have temporarily suspended all volunteer programs, Sharing Notes has redesigned our live concerts program into our live, virtual bedside concerts program. Patients or hospital staff can schedule a Sharing Notes musician to personally FaceTime or Zoom with, request a song, enjoy a conversation or simply listen to music. When restrictions lift, our live performances will begin again, and virtual bedside concerts will be added to our repertoire of programs for patients who are unable to receive in-person guests. We anticipate our 2020-2021 season to include over 100 virtual and 75 live performances at 5-7 hospitals, providing music for approximately 4500 patients and families. Our commitment to mission and partners, adaptability to rapid change, and innovation are testament to our organization not only surviving but thriving during a time of crisis. To learn more,  Click on their website: https://www.sharing-notes.org/

Two Organizations in the City of Milwaukee which promote healthier food for a healthier life are the Urban Ecology Center and Friends of Real Food.