“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” Martin Luther King Jr.
James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Matthew 25:35-40 "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." Then the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
This message was sent to us from the Eberhard family:
300 + Emergency Homeless Back Packs are covering our Basement Floor.
I just want to thank Everyone who helped in anyway with making this possible!!
And especially my wife Jamie & our Kids MaKenzi , Geno , Luchi , Gunnar & Sly!!!
They are picking up the slack of there Dad not being able to Pack much!
Three Rangers Foundation -WE ARE READY with your Packs to Help our Veterans !!
Veterans Assistance Commission of Will County - We are ARE Ready to Deliver!
We Care of Grundy County Inc / @ Grundy PADs - We are ready to Deliver to you as well!!
This will be over 800 Homeless Emergency Back Packs Delivered just this year!!
So many friends that helped!!!
Thank You!!!
"If anyone ever thinks Pads doesn't matter you should have stopped in last night." This was sent from a PADS volunteer to the board over the weekend. The local use of PADS has doubled in the last week due to the extreme cold temps. There have been several families with children regularly seeking meals & overnight shelter now. Please be thankful that PADS is here to help & do what you can to support this mission during our cold winter months. Any money donated can help provide food, counseling, holiday gift cards, etc.
Denise Gaska is a PADS volunteer & Board Member. She has been involved from the start of the mission & shared this about her experience with PADS:
"I enjoy volunteering for PADS because I know it really makes a difference in the lives of the people we serve. In fact, I truly believe we are saving their lives because we are giving them a warm, safe place to sleep when they might otherwise be forced to sleep outside. I work the 10:45-2:45 shift. If you're a night owl like I am, it's the ideal shift to serve because all you have to do is stay up really late, kind of like being back in college! Also, the nice thing about this shift is that it is very quiet. If you have a laptop you can bring in, it's a great way to get work done, or watch a movie or TV show on Netflix, or even just read a favorite book. We have one responsibility on that shift, and it's to make the sack lunches for the next day. Other than that, we just have to, basically, stand guard and not fall asleep. I have a friend who has been serving on this shift with me for many years and we always enjoy the time together to catch up and do a lot of giggling once a month."
Thanks Denise! It's nice to hear that your PADS work is meaningful & fun at the same time!
Rev. Lu Bettisch from Peace Lutheran Church had these words to share about what PADS means to her & her congregation, "I think I speak for the entire congregation of Peace Lutheran that we are humbled and honored to serve the homeless guests that stay in our building two nights a week during the season. Several of our members (including me!) volunteer to make sure our guests are comfortable, safe and treated with dignity and respect. As Lutheran Christians we believe that when we help those less fortunate, we are serving Jesus himself as stated in Matthew 25 “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ”
Thanks Rev. Lu & the Peace Lutheran folks for opening their doors & their hearts to the mission of PADS!
You may ask what "types" of people use the PADS shelters. What "kinds" of people are homeless? This is difficult to answer because there is no stereotypical guest. It is important to understand that the population of homeless people may have a higher proportion of individuals with a mental illness or a substance abuse problem. However, they do not constitute the whole. The majority are people from this area who have fallen on hard times. No matter what the reason, they need food, shelter, our nonjudgmental support and our compassion. Please join us in offering a helping hand to our neighbors in need this winter.
Did you know that Morris Hospital is an integral partner in our local PADS program in Grundy County? The Morris Hospital provides meals & bedding EVERY NIGHT for our PADS guests. If you have a chance, please thank the Morris Hospital for helping to take care of the homeless in our community. THANK YOU!
PADS volunteers learned some valuable information about mental health & the homeless during training last Saturday. John Moss from the GC Health Dept shared that within the general population there are at least 20% of people who suffer from mental health issues. Within the homeless population, it is difficult to pinpoint how much higher that percentage may be. There does not seem to be a clear assumption that can be made. Our PADS guests benefit from the services John Moss provides in our county. If a PADS volunteer sees that someone needs some professional help, they are immediately referred to him for services. Thank you John for your service to the homeless in our community!
Why does Tammy Alvarez value helping with PADS? Here is what she had to say, "Five years ago I was invited to be on the PADS board by a friend. Helping provide shelter to the homeless had long been something I wanted to be a part of. That same year I began volunteering on the 2nd shift at Peace Lutheran Church on Monday nights. Going to work the next day after volunteering sometimes was hard, but I would remind myself that I was fortunate enough to have a soft bed, a warm house and more than enough groceries in my life. 4 hours once a month to be a little tired seemed like a small inconvenience compared to helping those in need. After the first year my husband joined me volunteering. We are fortunate to be able give back to our community."
Thank you Tammy for making our community a better place! If you would like to join the PADS mission in Grundy County, please message us. The new season starts soon & help is still needed!
1409 N. Division St.
Morris, IL 60450
(815) 942-3245
Help@Grundypads.org
