To mark the 50th Anniversary of Dinner In The Park, a beloved holiday tradition, and adhere to COVID-19 safety standards, Union Station Homeless Services will be serving Thanksgiving meals differently this year. A week before the holiday, the organization will be distributing Thanksgiving “All the Fixings” Meal Boxes to clients who have access to a kitchen and want to cook their own meal at home for the holidays.
When: Wednesday, November 18
10:00 am to 11:30 am
What: Volunteers and kitchen staff will distribute boxes at Drive-up and Walk-up lines
No-contact pick-up
Where: Union Station Homeless Services Adult Center
412 S Raymond Avenue
Pasadena
Why: This year instead of one of the traditional community meal in the park, Union
Station Homeless Services will serve Thanksgiving meals in three ways to clients. 1) Thanksgiving “All the Fixings” Meal Supply Boxes a week before the holidays, November 18, for clients to cook at home.2) Thanksgiving Prepared Meals the day before the holidays, November 25, for reheating at home. 3) A private dinner on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, for the residents at the Adult Center and Family Center.
The Thanksgiving “All the Fixings” Meal Supply Boxes are filled with the key ingredients needed for a delicious meal, including turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, gravy, canned corn, and cranberries sauce. The boxes also come with tips and tricks from our amazing Food Services staff on how to prepare a Thanksgiving feast.
Union Station Homeless Services held a Food Drive to prepare meals as part of the 50th Dinner In The Park celebration to feed a full holiday meal to those in need. The organization is reaching out to the community for three Thanksgiving staples: turkeys, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.
Although the pandemic has made the traditional massive meal at Central Park impossible, the 50th annual event continued with the distribution of meal boxes “with all the fixings” for those with access to kitchens, as well as prepared, pre-portioned meals, according to Union Station.
The Board of Directors of Union Station Homeless Services teamed up with Pasadena Hugs to give every team member a $25 gift card for a meal at a minority-owned Pasadena restaurant, As a thank-you to the staff for all their work during this pandemic working with those experiencing homelessness.
Joining the celebration were Board Chair Kevin Trieber, Board Members Marie Queen and Lonnie Schield, Anne Miskey, CEO and members of the Innovations and Excellence Steering Committee (IESC), a staff-driven committee that looks to uphold the vision, mission and values of the organization.
“The Board wanted to find a unique and special way to express our deep gratitude and appreciation to the staff for all they have done during these unprecedented times,” stated Kevin Trieber, Union Station Homeless Services Board Chair.
Union Station Homeless Services announces the promotion of Shawn Morrissey, to the Senior Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, as a senior member of the organization’s Executive Team.
In this role, Shawn continues to lead the advocacy work of Union Station, advocating for best practices and policies around homelessness, service provision, housing, and accessibility and sustainable housing.
“Shawn brings extensive knowledge of the issues involved in addressing homelessness, with 17 years of experience in the field of homeless advocacy, service provision and social justice,” – Anne Miskey, CEO.
The third webinar in the series from Union Station Homeless Services tackles designing and building inclusive cities
How can we build better cities with inclusive housing for all? What can we learn from urban design and city planning successes from around the globe and locally? What is the perspective of those who have lived with homelessness?
A lively discussion about these and other questions will be the focus of the Changing the Narrative Series: Building Better Cities on January 25 from 5:30 – 7:00 pm.
Anne Miskey, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services, will moderate three guest speakers:
Vinayak Bharne, urban design and city planning practitioner, adjunct associate professor at USC School of Architecture, Principal and Director of Design at Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists and on the Union Station Board of Directors.
Steve PonTell, CEO and President of National CORE, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers of affordable and senior housing.
Shawn Morrissey, Senior Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement at Union Station Homeless Services.
This is the third installment in the Changing the Narrative Series, a free educational series created by Union Station Homeless Services to deepen community understanding of homelessness and housing. In Building Better Cities, this panel of experts will discuss global best practices in housing planning, inclusive housing practices for all, and the obstacles faced by housing developers in today’s market as well as those attempting to access affordable housing. With the added perspective of those who have experienced homelessness, the 90-minute webinar will also address advocating for affordable housing in today’s chaotic market.
Union Station Homeless Services announced today that Dana Bean has been promoted to Chief Development and Communications Officer reporting directly to CEO Anne Miskey as senior member of the organization’s Executive Team.
In this new role, she will continue to expand the work of her DevCom team in leading the organization’s diverse fundraising and communications efforts, including foundation and government grants, major gifts, corporate partnerships, direct mail, special events, public relations, and brand management.
“Dana Bean has been with Union Station for over 14 years, and during that time she has been instrumental in helping sustain our organization by building our resources and advancing our mission-driven strategy and communications,” said Anne Miskey, CEO. “She is an integral part of our senior executive team and brings, not only her skills, but great passion and heart to the job.”
Ms. Bean joined Union Station in 2006 and has held a number of roles over the years including grant writer, communications manager, and director of development. She earned a bachelor’s from UCLA and holds a Master of Public Administration with a certificate in Nonprofit Sector Management from California State University Northridge. She is a credentialed grant professional with a certificate from Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI) and is currently completing a certification in Strategic Public Relations and Brand Management at UCLA.
We are shocked and devastated by the sudden and tragic death of Elena Ledford, who worked for Union Station for the past three years. Elena was more than a beloved employee and coworker, she was a member of our Union Station Family. We are thankful for the support of law enforcement agencies in their investigation of Elena’s death. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Ledford Family for this unfathomable loss, and we are thinking of Elena’s parents, daughter, sister, and her friends and family during this terrible time.
An annual Thanksgiving dinner hosted by a Pasadena- based homeless services provider will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, and interested volunteers are urged to sign up beginning Wednesday.
“While this year might bring unique methods of celebrating Thanksgiving, there still is one distinct purpose: to feed those in need with a full holiday meal,” Union Station Homeless Services said in a statement.
Union Station’s Dinner in the Park is traditionally held as a large, celebratory gathering, but this year, strict adherence to COVID-19 public health orders will be observed
Some dinners and dinner kits with all the fixings will be handed out in advance, while smaller, private dinners will be held on Thanksgiving at multiple centers serving homeless individuals.
Organizers urged would-be volunteers to sign up early, as past opportunities have filled up within 24 hours. This year, spots are very limited.
Volunteers will help Union Station Homeless Services with food sorting, preparation, cooking, packaging and serving. Three different opportunities to volunteer — on Nov. 11, 25 or 26 — are available.
On Nov. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., volunteers can help with no- contact distribution of meal supply boxes for residents with access to a kitchen who want to cook their own Thanksgiving meals. Prepared meals will be handed out on the day before Thanksgiving, during the same hours.
Volunteers can also help staff festive sit-down dinners on Thanksgiving Day for residents at Union Station’s Adult Center, Family Center and Centennial Place. The dinner will not be open to the public. Volunteer hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and all locations are in Pasadena.
Anyone unable to pick up a volunteer slot in time can also donate items from an online wish list available on the website.
Union Station is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families.
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that home equals safety. We are told to stay home to stay safe. Many of us have turned our dining room tables into offices, some have converted closets into creative school spaces for their kids. We’ve all learned to Zoom!
Most of us have been able to stay safe. But what about those without homes, living in shelters or on the streets, those who can’t stay safe at home? Unlike Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, they can’t just click their heels three times and say “there’s no place like home,” and suddenly be safe in a place of their own.
It takes a lot more than three clicks of our heels to help people find a home, something we know well at Union Station Homeless Services. Our staff work tirelessly and constantly to meet people where they are – whether they’re living under an underpass or in their car, and help them find a place that they can call their own.
But finding affordable rental apartments in Los Angeles County is easier said then done. Los Angeles has one of the highest cost housing markets in the country. Add to that the “not in my backyard” NIMBY mentality of many residents who don’t want “those (homeless) people in their communities” means that finding housing for people requires determination, ingenuity and a “never give up” attitude.
Fortunately, these are all things my staff have in abundance. So, how have we dealt with some of these challenges? How do we find homes for people experiencing homelessness?
LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT
We know that to find apartments, we first have to find landlords. But the question is how to convince a landlord to rent to us – at often below market rent, for an individual or a family who has been living on the street or in their car? Well, the answer was relatively simple. It is about relationships!
Our staff spends much of their time getting out to meet and to know landlords, explaining how we work and introducing them to our clients. Our staff goes beyond what they need to do. They are available 24/7 if there is a concern or a problem. We immediately take action if someone is late on rent, or is making too much noise. We work with the client, and the landlord, to make sure the experience – and the housing – works for both parties.
As a result of these relationships, we are working with over 120 landlords – and so far only one has stepped back from renting to us (they needed to reclaim the apartment for a family member). Instead, our landlords tell others about how great it is to work with us and what a difference it makes to them.
Next is dealing with those who object to housing people in their neighborhoods? We discovered that connecting people within the neighborhood truly makes a difference. To do this we launched our award-winning Community Allies program, a program that brings together community volunteers with individuals or families who have been recently housed. When people get to know people, see each other as fellow human beings with the same needs, hopes and dreams, it changes both hearts and minds. Now, instead of saying “not in my neighborhood” people say, “welcome neighbor.”
“Here was something I could actually do, something where I could really make a difference,” said Dr. Monique Margetis about the Community Allies Program.
At the end of the day, finding housing for people requires determination, ingenuity and fostering relationships by connecting to humans in new, creative and authentic ways. Won’t you be part of the solution to ending homelessness by welcoming new neighbors into your committee?
By ANNE MISKEY 
