Photo via Flickr
Part of what makes the Holidays so magical is the gift of helping others. There are plenty of opportunities to give back to our community all December long, and we have listed just a few of them below!
“Food on Foot is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the poor and homeless of Los Angeles through programs that provide nutritious meals, clothing, work opportunities and ultimately the transition to full-time employment and life off the streets,” their website states.
Food on Foot is funded by private funds, not government ones, meaning that they rely on your support every single day to help the city’s homeless population. If you don’t have the financial means to donate money, then you can simply donate your time. Every Sunday, for 20 years, volunteers distribute hot, nutritious chicken dinners, snacks, and drinks to approximately 200 homeless and poor individuals and families in Hollywood.
Fred Jordan Missions is located in downtown Los Angeles in Skid Row. They serve over 300,000 meals each year to those in need, and are always looking for donations to help feed the thousands of hungry citizens. Skid Row is known for being a place of trashy hotels, drugs and poverty. In 1944, Fred Jordan Missions arrived to spread the ideals of Christ and to “Love the unloved, feed the hungry, and heal the hurting.”
Join Fred Jordan Missions for their annual Christmas event on December 17, 2016 at 9:00 AM to bring Christmas joy to 20,000 Skid Row impoverished children and their mothers. Christmas Carols, lights and decorations as well as visits from special guests Santa Clause, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Help distribute more than 50,000 new toys, as well as warm clothing and new blankets to those who need it most.
“Founded in 1936, the Los Angeles Mission is a non-profit, privately supported, faith-based organization that serves the immediate and long-term needs of homeless and disadvantaged men, women and children. The Mission is among the nation’s largest service providers to the homeless,” state the Mission’s website.
There are multiple ways to give back to your community through Los Angeles Mission. One way is through the “Adopt a Meal” program, in which you and some friends can commit to providing a meal to the hungry in Skid Row. “The Adopt-a-Meal program allows volunteer groups to take charge of a meal as though it were their own event,” states the site. “The volunteers will prepare and serve the designated meal for approximately 500 Mission guests.”
Another way to give is by donating food, clothing and toiletry items to those who have less than you do. There is a drop off location 316 East Winston Street, where you can drop off these necessities. The items preferred are listed on their site.