Did you know that one in six people within Cook County don't even know where their next meal will…read morecome from? Did you know that most of these people live in your own neighborhood, go to school with your kids, and pass by you on the street? In 1981, a volunteer at Willow Creek Church (within affluent Barrington) heard that families within the church struggling to put food on their tables. He purchased groceries, put them in his trunk, and gave them away to those in need. People came together and formed the Food Pantry. A few years later, some mechanic friends had the idea to fix cars for single mothers -- for free -- and created C.A.R.S. These services, along with ESL services, legal consulting, and employment counseling became available for those in need within the Care Center (originally the Food Pantry). The Center has been in Hoffman Estates for the past few years with more than 2,000 volunteers. I have been serving for the past six months and am in awe of how much they help the community. Today, on June 3, 2013, the new 60,000 square foot Care Center opened on Willow Creek's main campus in South Barrington. It is absolutely amazing. The center has several dedicated spaces surrounding its' gorgeous waiting area: a large, full-choice food pantry (families in need can come once a month to receive free groceries), a children's clothing store with sizes infant through 14/XL (families can come twice a year and it costs $5 per child), an eye & dental clinic ($20 per exam), a car repair shop, a large Kid's Zone child care center (to watch the kids while parents are using services in the building), classroom space, and a computer lab (to open in Fall of 2013). The Care Center offers ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, as well as a GED course (high school equivalency) for Spanish speakers. Volunteers also mentor at-risk youth through partnerships with local schools. Also available are one-on-one consultations and workshops addressing topics such as job search, résumé writing, networking, and preparing for an interview. Job fairs with local employers are also held throughout the year. Legal services with a trusted attorney are here for anyone who needs advice and cannot afford a layer, as well as tax preparation services during tax season. The center even offers homeless individuals and families overnight shelter on Thursdays during colder months as part of PADS. For people with homes, volunteers can assist homeowners with minor repairs so home is a safe place to live. Most services require eligibility screening. Families seeking care will need to bring photo ID and proof of current address (recent utility bill, lease, mortgage statement, medical card). Some services also require proof of income, proof of child ID, and other information. You can find this on the Care Center website, along with a full description of the services and workshops available. Although this place is affiliated with a church, they do not push God on you. They built this to serve those in need within the community. That's it. Don't be wary of coming here if religion is not your thing! If you're looking for a place to volunteer -- this is it! If you're someone in need of these services -- come here!! You'll be amazed. (I actually wrote too much in this review and maxed out at 5000 characters, so I had to cut a lot of information out and just leave the basics! Crazy!)

This review covers Food Services ONLY and does not cover the Care Team, Dental Service, Legal…read moreService, Job Services & Any other services they offer. That being said this facility is a great resource to the community and if you need any type of assistance feel free to reach out to them, they can either provide it or give you a referral to a place that can help. Facility: The facility is large and well decorated, acoustics in the facility favor noise transmission so you'll want to gear up with some ibuprofen if there's a ton of babies in the waiting area on the day you are there because it can get headachy fast! The food pantry area is in the midsection of the Care Center and is well appointed with a wide selection of foods. Unlike other food pantries in the area this one you can quite often and easily find high end foods at. This is great for me because living on Disability doesn't give me a lot of opportunity to shop for upper end foods like fish on my own dime. Don't expect any visit here to be an in and out affair, wait times typically range from 30 minutes to an hour. It is once in a blue moon that you'll get an in and out day. Staff: Volunteers are always helpful and courteous. No problems to report here however around the holidays and Easter they can get a bit pushy. I don't buy the Evangelical flavor of Christianity. Though it's not their fault. They are only doing what management wants. Accessibility: They have automatic doors but they are rarely in working order. This is why they are getting docked a star. If you have automatic doors, maintain them properly please! Grades Facility: A- (acoustics are not preferable to an enjoyable time.) Staff: A (Can't get an A+ with managers that tell volunteers to be pushy about religion in a community service building) Accessibility: B (Fix those doors!) Overall Grade: A

This is a food bank for the poor and in need and they accept volunteers all the time to help with…read morethe massive work of sorting donated food to be distributed to those in need. You can come on a weekend and work in their warehouse of food and sort the food by dates to make sure old food or opened packages don't get sent to those in need by mistake. Old food (that is close to the sell by date) is sent to the local zoos to help defray costs and waste.

It was ny first time volunteering at this charity. They were very welcoming and explained their…read moremission and how they help other charitable organizations. The work was helping organize pots in the warehouse and it felt rewarding to contribute. I would definitely do it again

I just placed my first small order at GiveNKind for holiday cards to send to Board members of our…read morenon-profit organization, and I am happy with my order. I received 80 cards for $10 and cannot wait to write on them. Each card is packed in its own plastic sleeve and some are really cute and festive pop-up cards. They are really good quality paper too. I did have to pull several cards that seemed odd or inappropriate but otherwise it was a great deal. It's a little far from my service area to drive to their site in Buffalo Grove, but I look forward to more orders in the future. Note that they only ship on orders of $300 and up. It is not a place for personal use but if you work for or own a 501(c) 3 organization, check this place out for sure. The application process was easy. The staff is also super friendly, helpful and customer service focused. They are helping many non-profits, keeping volunteers active, and keeping items out of our landfills too.

This was my first time at the HQ of HOS. I came with my little one for the children's walk…read more It was a super hot day, but we had a great time. The volunteers and staff were kind and accommodating. They had some live music which was really nice. I think I heard that the originally booked band didn't show, so they had someone step in at the last minute. He was great. My company was one of the sponsors so we got some VIP access to the tent, which had food, desserts, and beers. There was also a barbecue food truck and it smelled delicious. Overall though, I have donated to HOS in the past and have been a supporter of their focus on the trauma to kids experiencing homelessness. Will definitely be back again next year.

I cannot say enough about Home of the Sparrow. They are an incredible organization! They have…read morehelped one of our daughters with counseling, employment, housing. I could go on and on. They are truly a gift from God to women and children in need. Please consider giving a generous gift to this organization.

Clean up - give back made it exceptionally easy for me to complete my service hours. It was…read moresomething I was stressed about because I work a lot, but if you actually put the time in and are upfront with your point of contact for the organization it's very simple and straightforward. You're able to complete hours in green spaces wherever you're located which makes it convenient and also feels useful as it's in your own community.

They offered the most flexible program to do community service hours. I enjoyed being outside and…read morecleaning my own community

My kids grew up doing this excellent program and all three were complimented by college professors…read moreon their public speaking skills and confidence. Honestly, didn't expect that to be an outcome of what I thought was my kids just having a ton of fun at theater classes, summer camps and doing musicals throughout the year! Truly time and money well-spent, and they built a whole lot of core memories with CYT Chicago!

We love CYT! Our kids have made wonderful friendships and memories, and the productions are…read morewonderful quality too. CYT is truly a unique program which seeks to bring glory to God through performing arts.

I can not say enough how amazing Senior Services is! There are SO many programs encompassed within…read morethe company from daily in-house activities set up by Lisa (check out the calendar of events), transportation assistance, I&A (Information and Assistance), Adult Protection Services, (CCP) Community Care Program, Friendly Visitor Program, on and on. I have never met so many employees that get along so well. (That says a lot for the office manager, well done, Rhonda).

I am a caregiver for my elderly mother, Senior Services pays my company to pay me. I have had many…read morequestions and I call my case manager Perla, instead of calling myself she calls my mom. I take care of my mom four and a half hours a day, I need time off to take care of some things and this is what I'm calling Perla about, but she never calls me back. This place is a joke, they're sucking money from the elderly and not actually helping people.

This has been a great place for my 60 year old uncle and our 45 year old family friend. They are…read moreaffiliated with the Grayslake facility, which I am very happy with.

if I could rate this place 0 stars I would !!!!! I'm 38 with developmentmental disabilities and my…read morecase worker recommended me go here for recreation or day programs and this awful place and awful people never called me back or helped me !!!! it been a year fuken little city is a fraud and a scam !!!!! They should be sued !!!!!!!?!?