Ways to Give

Donate Household Items

Thank you for the outpouring of support! With your help, we were able to help resettle 16 families! We no longer need household items at this time. However, gift cards to local stores, such as Hyde Park Produce, Target, CVS, as well as Ventra cards for transportation are always appreciated. We are immensely grateful!

Financial Donations

To support Hyde Park refugee families and ongoing work of the Hyde Park Refugee Project, you can make financial donation at the link below.

Click here to make a secure online donation

If you prefer to mail a check, please make it payable to Hyde Park Refugee Project, 5500 South Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637.

Fundraisers

Local schools have been a very generous and creative source of new funding by holding bake sales, making and selling jewelry, or starting clubs to help raise money. If you're interested in holding a fundraiser, please contact us at info@hprpchicago.org so we can answer any questions you might have and help set you up for success.

In Memoriam: Ralph Austen

January 9, 1937 - August 23, 2024



Ralph was an incredible colleague and volunteer with us at the Hyde Park Refugee Project. He brought his humor and knowledge to our Working Group, as a representative of KAM Isaiah Israel, but also as a committed member of the community. In the years that I knew him, he volunteered with a Swahili-speaking family from the DRC, he tutored children in our after school program at Ray Elementary, he led our reading group through the pandemic to keep us connected and always learning more, and most recently, he spent time connecting to newly arrived Venezuelans through a south side soccer group to understand how we could support them better. Ralph never stopped volunteering. Despite his many accomplishments, he was humble and self-deprecating. 

Most of all, I will remember him showing up for meetings on his bike with a smile and patience for this challenging work. We are so lucky to have worked with him.

- Lisa Jenschke, Director



I had the honor to meet Ralph through his volunteer work at the Hyde Park Refugee Project. For many years, Ralph led our book club that explored writings on the topics of refugees, migration, and resilience in the face of the most challenging circumstances, many topics touching so close to his personal experiences. We will miss Ralph and the joy he radiated. I wish Ernestine and the rest of the Austen family much strength and energy for this new chapter of life.



- Dorothy Pytel, Founder

Click here to read Ralph's obituary