Project seeks donations

for homeless in Chicago

Local men feel they are giving something back

to community

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

HANSKA -- The storage room in Ryan Kloeckl's garage in Hanska has many things inside it: a storage shelf, some old shoes, a couple power tools and close to 40 cardboard boxes packed with bed sheets, blankets and towels destined for a homeless shelter in Chicago.

Kloeckl says its his way of doing Christian work, even though it doesn't require any great effort.

Like Kloeckl, Joe Harting is also out to do some good.

He's the man-behind-the-scenes in the collection for the second year in a row.

And at the end of the month, Harting and Kloeckl are going to load as many boxes of donations as they can into a truck and Harting will take those things back to a place where he once stayed --the Cornerstone Community Outreach, located on Chicago's North Side.

The mission was started by the Evangelical Covenant Church in a building it bought and rehabilitated with help from the city of Chicago. Cornerstone Community Outreach provides shelter to about 400 single men and women, single parents and families each night and offers child care and after-school activities for kids during the day.

Harting, who now lives in Lafayette, found the shelter about 30 years ago. He was struggling with drug addiction and was also having problems with alcoholism. Eventually, Harting found direction.

Although he has family in the Chicago area, it was the mission -- particularly its magazine and the Christian teachings found on its pages -- that Harting partially credits for helping him fight his demons.

"It reached out to young people and it was kinda cutting edge for the '70s -- it was kinda psychedelic. Now it's on the Internet," Harting said.

He said he's kept in touch with some people back in Chicago and started donating things back to the shelter about two years ago when a mailing about a shortage of bunk beds reached his house.

Ever since then, Harting has devoted himself to what he calls "doing God's work." He first organized a donation drive about one year ago.

Enter Ryan Kloeckl, who works as the store operations manager at New Ulm Hy-Vee. Kloeckl and Harting met while Harting was washing the store's windows. Their relationship started to build after Kloeckl helped Harting load a semi truck full of donated furniture.

"Last year was really positive. Some people wonder which denomination I represent and I tell them it's the Christian community working here," Harting said. "We've got many denominations working."

Harting said Cornerstone is taking a more selective approach to donations this year, since it is only asking for bedding and towels.

Already, there have been so many donations that one side of the storage room at Kloeckl's house is piled to the ceiling with cardboard boxes full of donations.

"It's doing Christian work," he said. "It's a small part and you could view it as minimal, but I'm doing the best I can."

Individuals wishing to donate to the project can bring the items to the New Ulm Hy-Vee store before Jan. 15.