Mission

People's Resource Center

People's Resource CenterPeople's Resource Center (PRC) meets basic needs, including food, clothing, and rent assistance, and offers skill-building resources, such as literacy classes, job assistance, computer training and art. Nearly 30,000 DuPage residents rely on PRC for help each year. More than 2,600 volunteers work with the small PRC staff offering time, skills, and resources to help their neighbors. Donors contribute food, clothing, books, art supplies, computers, and money to support the PRC’s work. 

DGFUMC volunteers staff the Westmont Food Pantry to assist clients in their grocery selection on Thursdays.

Contact the DGFUMC PRC coordinator, Julie Stone (630.985.9217), or PRC Volunteer Coordinator at 630-682-5402 or volunteers@peoplesrc.org. Fill out a volunteer application at peoplesrc.org.

PADS Homeless Shelter

The mission of DuPage PADSDuPage P.A.D.S. (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) is to end homelessness in DuPage County.  Building on years of experience, DuPage Pads believes the solution is housing, coupled with support services and employment.   Over the years, the agency has grown to be the largest provider of services to those who are homeless in the county, last year serving 1,451 individuals including 245 children in 140 families.

Our church hosts individuals and families every Tuesday night from October to May. DGFUMC volunteers coordinate the program and work on the first Tuesday of each month, while other churches work on the remaining weeks.  

For more information about DuPage Pads, contact Will Salmon (630-682-3846). For information about the DGFUMC PADS program, contact Sheila Ochoa (630-968-7120 x 205). 

DGFUMC Bridge Board

Bridge CommunitiesThe Bridge Board at First United Methodist Church is a partner with Bridge Communities, a non-profit organization with offices in Glen Ellyn whose mission is to:

  • Inspire and effect change by advocating for homeless families.
  • Provide services and opportunities that connect families to a better future.
  • Collaborate with faith-based partners, community groups and businesses to leverage resources and create long-term solutions.
  • Lead by example through our innovative programs and grassroots involvement.

Bridge Communities was founded in 1988 by two community volunteers, Mark Milligan and Bob Wahlgren, and has grown to become the largest transitional housing program in DuPage County. The majority of families served are single parents with children, many who are survivors of domestic violence. Through the mentoring program, Bridge provides families with the necessary life skills to function successfully in their community. The two-year program often provides additional training or academic opportunities to increase income and reduce debt.

Bridge Communities depends on partnering with local faith and community groups who sponsor families in housing and provide volunteer mentors to work directly with each family to foster positive change. Additional resources, including employment counseling, case management, and tutoring for children and adults in the program, are provided by the Glen Ellyn Bridge staff.

The Giving Tree

November 26, 2010 - 11:31am

The Giving TreeThe Giving Trees are now in the Parlor. You have the opportunity to choose tags from several agencies in order to purchase gifts for both children and adults. The tags are marked with the name or initials of the agency.

Please select tags and put your name on the sign-out sheet. Please read the note on the tag to see which kind you have chosen.

  • All gifts going to PADS should be UNWRAPPED, but with the tag firmly attached
  • All gifts for Marcy Newberry and Head Start should be wrapped.
  • Child Serv gifts should be unwrapped.

Please don’t wrap gifts marked “unwrapped” or volunteers will have to unwrap them before giving them to the agency.

The gifts for all the agencies other than PADS should be returned with the tags firmly attached no later than noon on Sunday, December 5. Gifts for PADS will continue to be collected into December.

The Children and Family Ministries Work Area and the Church and Society Work Area sponsor the Giving Tree project. Over 300 gifts go to needy children, youth, and adults in our township and across the Northern Illinois Conference. We hope that you will be able to help.

Thank you!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

July 8, 2008 - 12:00am

Saying goodbye was so difficult: after just four days, we felt as though we were lifelong friends. Certainly, we had shared a great deal in a short time. We spent the morning talking with the UPAVIM Board about our purpose, vision and mission statements, and deepened our understanding of what our relationship means for each of us, and how it might develop in the future into practical outworkings that "promote quality and dignity of life: in BOTH our communities".

Friday to Monday, July 4-7, 2008

July 7, 2008 - 12:00am

We have very little internet time today, but wanted to let you know that we're all well, and that the weekend has been a moving and extraordinary experience for us, both in our host families in La Esperanza, and in the time we have spent learning about the various projects and activities of UPAVIM.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

July 3, 2008 - 12:00am

After a night in the Las Palmas Hotel, where we failed to dry any of our clothes that were drenched in the previous evening's shower, we set off for ADIVIMA to learn of the tragic history of this region. We met Juan de Dios Garcia, who described with remarkable calmness the terrible massacres that took place in villages around Rabinal, including Rio Negro, where 107 children and 70 women were killed in one day in 1982. The resistance of the indigenous population to losing their land to a hydroelectric project was ruthlessly suppressed by the army.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

July 2, 2008 - 12:00am

During the first two days of the trip, we are being given a glimpse of Guatemala's troubled history with the help of some remarkable people who have been risking their lives to promote human rights and justice in a country still struggling to emerge from a 36-year civil war. In 1996, a peace agreement was signed between the government and the guerrillas, with promises of social justice for all Guatemalans, including the indigenous Mayan population. However, it takes a long time to transform a country that has been so damaged by violence.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

July 1, 2008 - 12:00am

We're here! After a very early start, and a change at Houston, the mission team to Guatemala landed in Guatemala City at around 11am local time (one hour behind Chicago). The welcome was as warm as we had been led to expect; and, for those who came last year and for new delegates alike, it was very welcome after the strains of travel.

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God, as known to us in Jesus Christ, welcomes all.

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First United Methodist Church 1032 Maple Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515 - Phone: 630.968.7120 - E-mail: dgfumc@dgfumc.org

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