by Kristen Kucharski
FEATURING RESIDENTS WHO INSPIRE THE COMMUNITY IN THEIR OWN UNIQUE WAY
Each year Glancer Magazine features a distinct group of residents who are doing extraordinary things, making a difference in the lives of others by giving them hope, guidance or inspiration. Each is so talented and has persevered through all that COVID-19 has presented this past year. Their stories will touch your heart and awaken your spirit. Here are Glancer Magazine's 15 Fascinating Faces of 2020.
Josie Mattern
ST. CHARLES/WHEATON–In March, when the world came to a standstill, Josie, the DuPagePads Volunteer Coordinator, and her team built a new housing program overnight. They moved over 100 families and individuals into hotel rooms as a part of their new Emergency Housing (Hotel) program, so everyone had a safe place to stay at “home”.
Her job changed from spending most of her day behind the computer coordinating where volunteers were needed, recruiting new volunteers, and maintaining relationships with current volunteers to finding non-perishable food to support the people in hotels.
“We transformed our Client Service Center into a food pantry,” she says. “Volunteers have been a part of every step- helping with donations, sanitizing, and packing food for the people we serve; and at the beginning of November, we reopened our Interim Housing program, to serve even more people.”
Josie is so honored to work with over 4000 volunteers who help provide shelter 365 nights a year to over 200 people in the Emergency and Interim Housing programs, delivering 600 meals a day!
It is a job that can consume 24-hours of the day, but she takes time to unwind at home with her three cats, Chia, Camper, and Keeper, as well as her newfound quarantine hobby of baking. With the holidays approaching she hopes people will remember to grab an extra package of Ramen Noodles, Ravioli, can of soup, or microwavable, non-perishable food item to donate to DuPage Pads or checkout other opportunities at volunteer.dupagepads.org, for ways to get involved. In a job that never sleeps, Josie is always recruiting awesome people.
Photos by Mike Catuara
