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Project Humanities
After much careful deliberation and messaging from our University colleagues and leadership, Project Humanities is regrettably suspending our homeless outreach efforts until further notice. Effective immediately, this suspension includes both our weekly Friday sorting and our every-other-Saturday distribution. Please stay tuned for further notice about resuming our efforts. We understand this move as one that prioritizes the health and wellbeing of both our volunteers and our clients.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Dr. Neal Lester, Founding Director of ASU Project Humanities
Did you know you can contribute to Project Humanities' Homeless Outreach efforts simply by ordering items from our Amazon Wishlist? While our Service Saturdays are suspended due to COVID-19, we are still able to receive and distribute some items to individuals. We appreciate all your support.
Amazon WishlistNext Day of Service: TBD
Location: 1206 W Madison St, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Service Saturdays distribution location has changed to the northwest corner of Madison Street and 12th Avenue. We will be setting up and distributing in the parking lot located at 1206 W. Madison Street., Phoenix, AZ 85007.
You must enter the gated parking lot from Madison Street. There will be a security gate. One of our volunteers will be stationed at this gate, and will enter the code to open the gate, as our volunteers arrive. Once inside, continue heading north as far as you can, and then turn right and drive towards the northeast corner of the gated parking lot so as not to interfere with distribution.
Friday Sorting: Every Friday
Location: ASU Community Services Building (CSB), 200 E Curry Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281
Upon arriving at the ASU Community Services Building, head towards the back of the building from the east side to find our trailer and park there. Enter through the double glass doors and go left to the two end rooms.
Q: What donations are needed/accepted?
A. We accept adult clothing, shoes, accessories, and toiletries. This specific outreach does not service children. Seasonal clothing is especially helpful, such as coats, gloves, and jackets during the winter months. We accept both men’s and women’s clothing, but usually encounter shortages of men’s items most often.
Q: Where can I drop off donations?
A. Donations are accepted at various locations:
- Project Humanities Office
- Location: Discovery Hall 112, 250 E Lemon St, Tempe, AZ 85287.
- Hours: M-F 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Please call in advance to arrange a drop-off time. The office number is 480-727-7030.
- ASU Community Services Building (CSB)
- Location: 200 E Curry Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281.
- Hours: Friday, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Bring donations directly to any Service Saturdays at 12th Ave. and Jefferson.
Q: How can I get involved?
A. Simply show up at any service day, and feel free to bring family and friends! There is no RSVP or registration required. A calendar of upcoming Service Saturdays can be found under the tab “Calendar.”
- Additionally, we are always in need of volunteers to sort donations at our Alameda Warehouse on Fridays from 2 p.m.– 4 p.m. Location: ASU Community Services Building (CSB) 200 E Curry Rd, Tempe, AZ 85281
Q: What will I be doing at Service Saturdays?
A. You will help distribute clothing and other items to the adults who attend our outreach days. This could also include set-up and organization of tables that house the donations, interacting with the people we serve, and generally offering support to ensure the service day runs smoothly.
It was still very dark and chilly as my dad dropped me off at 6:30 AM at the Service Saturdays event. I was slightly nervous but very excited—it was my first time being involved in any sort of homeless outreach.
“See you later! Have fun,” he said, as I waved at him and strained my eyes against the bright lights of his car as it backed out of the narrow streets.
As I turned away, I walked towards a fast-growing congregation of volunteers running about on the sidewalk and swiftly stacking rows of clothing, sorting them by size, as seemingly endless lines of men and women, some wrapped in blankets and others not, waited patiently. I couldn’t really see any of the volunteers’ faces in the dark, but with the dancing flashlights that moved about like fireflies, I could catch a glimpse here and there of the determination and goodwill in each of their faces. It was a biting cold Arizona morning, but no one really seemed to care, absorbed in both friendly banter and hard work.
Before I knew it, not a trace of the previous anxiousness was left—only excitement filled me as I proceeded immediately to helping set up the “shop.” After a few friendly greetings and quick name-badge- making, we opened the shop as Dr. Lester told us instructions. We were to individually guide a shopper through the generously donated items, carrying the six they would choose.
It was quite an experience to meet such a variety of individuals personally under a span of a few minutes for each. Some of the them were soft-spoken, others openly cheery. One of the shoppers I helped was not a native speaker of the English language, establishing a language barrier. Another very friendly shopper declined extra toiletries because he said they were provided in jail. The diversity of the people I met reminded me that we should not merely identify these individuals as “homeless individuals.” Homelessness is not an identity but a circumstance; although we all may experience life in very different ways, we are all human—we must treat all individuals with dignity and respect.
As the sun broke out over the horizon and the lines for the shop receded, we cleaned the area and briefly met. At 8:30 on a Saturday morning, when most Arizonans were still asleep, we had accomplished more than two very productive hours of doing good in our community.
As I climbed into our white van, my dad noted that I was smiling and asked why. Laughing, I told him he would figure that out next time—when he would come with me to volunteer at the next Project Humanities Service Saturdays.
- Rina Kubota, High School Research Intern, Spring 2018
“See you later! Have fun,” he said, as I waved at him and strained my eyes against the bright lights of his car as it backed out of the narrow streets.
As I turned away, I walked towards a fast-growing congregation of volunteers running about on the sidewalk and swiftly stacking rows of clothing, sorting them by size, as seemingly endless lines of men and women, some wrapped in blankets and others not, waited patiently. I couldn’t really see any of the volunteers’ faces in the dark, but with the dancing flashlights that moved about like fireflies, I could catch a glimpse here and there of the determination and goodwill in each of their faces. It was a biting cold Arizona morning, but no one really seemed to care, absorbed in both friendly banter and hard work.
Before I knew it, not a trace of the previous anxiousness was left—only excitement filled me as I proceeded immediately to helping set up the “shop.” After a few friendly greetings and quick name-badge- making, we opened the shop as Dr. Lester told us instructions. We were to individually guide a shopper through the generously donated items, carrying the six they would choose.
It was quite an experience to meet such a variety of individuals personally under a span of a few minutes for each. Some of the them were soft-spoken, others openly cheery. One of the shoppers I helped was not a native speaker of the English language, establishing a language barrier. Another very friendly shopper declined extra toiletries because he said they were provided in jail. The diversity of the people I met reminded me that we should not merely identify these individuals as “homeless individuals.” Homelessness is not an identity but a circumstance; although we all may experience life in very different ways, we are all human—we must treat all individuals with dignity and respect.
As the sun broke out over the horizon and the lines for the shop receded, we cleaned the area and briefly met. At 8:30 on a Saturday morning, when most Arizonans were still asleep, we had accomplished more than two very productive hours of doing good in our community.
As I climbed into our white van, my dad noted that I was smiling and asked why. Laughing, I told him he would figure that out next time—when he would come with me to volunteer at the next Project Humanities Service Saturdays.
- Rina Kubota, High School Research Intern, Spring 2018
Feedback
"Dr. Lester, Thanks for the good deeds, you and your group is doing to help those that need help so badly. There's far too many homeless and hungry, and far too many that wouldn't considering helping out." -- Geneva
"It was a pleasure to work with you and your awesome group of people on this amazing project. We hope that we can be part of it many other Saturdays to serve the community and give back to the ones in ” -- Klaus Doering, Director of Operations, Sprinter-rentals
"It was so nice meeting with you! You run a wonderful organization & I was happy to be able to support it." -- Marie Brown,Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
“I am a representative of the Gamma Sigma Omega graduate chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. in Phoenix, AZ. We met Saturday morning with my other frat brothers Daniel Hardy and Antoine Jones. We first like to say thank you for allowing us to participate with Project Humanities in helping the homeless. We were honored to be apart of it and would like to continue to participate in the future along with other community service events…. I definitely want to keep in contact with you for future reference and stay up to day for other community service opportunities. Please let us know if there other opportunities of community service for us to get involved in.” --TR Badger
"It was just great to see you on Saturday and all of the other incredible team members. What a great experience working side by side with your committed team to help out those wonderful people and understanding just how close or how far all of us are from different circumstances. I have thought regularly over the weekend of Nicki who was one of the early 'shoppers' and also one of the gentlest souls that I have ever met. There are a couple of people who I would like to introduce you to who could have a big impact on homelessness and might be a perfect fit with Project Humanities." -- Wayne Clancy, Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, MindSuiteMetrics.com, Future Strategies Inc.
“I just think it’s marvelous of YOU to head such an effort to help others. Many people talk about helping, but not very many actually do anything. Now that I know you are providing this outreach to the Phoenix homeless, I’ll keep you in mind for the day that I finally get around to cleaning out some things from my household that I no longer need or use.”— Mary Ellen Stepanich, PhD, author of D is for Dysfunctional and Doo-Wop Doo-Wops & the B-Flat Murder
"For a few months now, I have participated in a homeless outreach program known as Service Saturday with the Diving Devils Dogs. We arrive in downtown Phoenix at 6:45 A.M. every other Saturday to distribute clothing donations and water to the people living by the CASS shelter. The opportunity to interact with these people is heart-warming and I have brought a number of friends to help me. It is an eye-opening experience for anyone who has not spent considerable time with an underprivileged group of people. Diving Devil Dogs ensures that everyone is safe - both the people are helping and those who we help - and I personally enjoy talking to the people who are beneficiaries of the service. There are many occasions where homeless people are not treated like fellow humans because of their conditions; Diving Devils Dogs help these people as equals because equal is who they truly are." - Anonymous
Media
ASU Events: Project Humanities' Ongoing Service Saturdays | |
Cronkite News, Arizona PBS (April 2017): Story by Allison Gargaro | Service Saturdays (Fox 10 News) |
Dr. Neal Lester talks about Humanity 101 in action | Service Saturdays - Public Service Announcement by Intern Ariz |
Service Saturdays - Public Service Announcement by Intern Ariz | Service Saturday 01/28/2017
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Dr. Neal Lester: Project Humanities and Service to Phoenix Homelessl | Arizona Jews for Justice "Overcrowded & Overheated" - How to advocate for our Unsheltered in AZ |
Service Saturday Highlights
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Our Supporters:
Thank you to Ahwatukee411 for organizing a special donation campaign for our homeless outreach. In their efforts to bring the community together to they have posted on their social media:
#A411 MONTH OF MAY: AHWATUKEE GIVING BACK!!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!! BE ENTERED TO WIN SOME GREAT GIVEAWAYS FOR MAKING THIS HUGE!! WE HAVE TO MAKE IT A HUGE DONATION!!
WE NEED CASES OF WATER SUNSCREEN!!
DONATE AND BE ENTER TO WIN
- MOVIE TICKETS!!
- $25 UNCLE BEARS GIFT CERTIFICATE
- $20 CK'S GIFT CERTIFICATE
- TWO TICKETS TO THE PHOENIX ZOO
We are teaming up with AZ Spine Disc and Sport AND ASU Project Humanities!!
All donations can be dropped off at 4530 E Ray Rd, Ste 110 Phoenix, Arizona - Cash donations are acceptable and we can get those items for you!
For every drop-off, please post on this posting to be entered!!
To learn more about the Project Humanities, please visit https://humanities.asu.edu/project-humanities
Huge Shoutout to Angie Christopher and her staff for always being amazing and helping our community!!
Diving Devil Dogs 1yr Birthday
The Inner Workings of a Local Mastermind - Stefano Contreras
Project Humanities connects Valley's diverse communities - Ariz Chang, Intern, Project Humanities
Serving Downtown: Clothing Collection - Camden Cook
Videos:
| Service Saturdays Interview - Martine Garcia |
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