DuPage PADS and St. Barnabas

St. Barnabas has a long tradition of service to DuPage PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), which helps people who are experiencing homelessness by providing them with shelter, support services, and job training. When PADS began, it enlisted the help of area churches to feed and shelter its clients overnight. We, at St. Barnabas enthusiastically participated in this ministry for many years. We are proud of parishioner Bob Spitzer who was named DuPage PADS Volunteer of the Year in 2016. In 2022, when PADS purchased a facility to permanently house its clients, our ministry necessarily shifted. But our devotion to the cause of ending homelessness has not wavered. St. Barnabas continues its steady financial support for this important work by hosting an annual benefit concert for PADS as part of the Upstairs / Downstairs concert series. Our parishioners also make independent donations.

The history: Twenty-five years ago the churches of DuPage County joined with a new organization, DuPage PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter), to find a way to end homelessness in their communities.   

Recognizing that everyone needs nourishing food and a place to spend the night, we offered our church as an overnight PADS facility beginning in 2014. Over the past few years, we have had several successful concerts at St. Barnabas to benefit PADS.

Volunteers from St. Barnabas haved serve our PADS guests at our church and at surrounding churches: setting up on Sunday, shopping, doing laundry, cooking wonderful meals, cleaning up, and serving during the PADS overnights. Others gave financially to cover the costs and donated underwear, toothbrushes, and other items. All pray for our ministry. We worked together with four other congregations and two outside agencies. Individual people from outside our congregation also assisted and some of our guests volunteered their services.

Glen House Food Pantry - glenhousefoodpantry.org

Glen House Food Pantry in Glen Ellyn, Illinois is dedicated to making hunger history. Many thanks to Matt Erion’s Dodecaband and the David Scott Crawford Trio for a beautiful concert celebrating International Jazz Day and simultaneously benefiting Glen House Food Pantry! Concert attendees generously donated 43 bags of groceries - about 598 pounds! - and over $400 in cash to go directly to Glen House Food Pantry. Thanks to all who helped make this event possible!