As LA’s homeless population surges, how to handle panhandling
by AirTalk December 21, 05:05 PM
Tents used by the homeless line a downtown Los Angeles street with the skyline behind Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015.DAMIAN DOVARGANES/AP
While L.A.’s homeless population grows, the question looms of how to handle giving to those in need, especially during the holiday season.
According to the Los Angeles Almanac, there are over 44,000 transients living in Los Angeles County.
Rabbi Marvin Gross, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services, offered a few best practices for donating during the holidays, and during every season.
His advice?
Refrain from donating cash “Unfortunately when folks are out there asking for money, it’s hard to know what uses they are going to put it to,” Gross said.
Buy food for the hungry. Gross suggested that in lieu of donating money, take a person in need to a restaurant, or bring them some food.
Give your money to organizations. Another option Gross gave is to opt for donating to charitable organizations that work with the homeless population in Los Angeles, like Union Station Homeless Services.
Volunteer your time. Eliminating money from the equation all together, another way to be charitable is to volunteer for organizations that help the homeless. Gross said that Union Station Homeless Services has volunteers every day, and there is information about getting involved on its website, unionstationhs.org. Other organizations to volunteer with include Los Angeles Mission and Union Rescue Mission.
Guest:
Rabbi Marvin Gross, CEO of Union Station Homeless Services
Goldstar, the company that gets people out to live entertainment more often, has announced they’ll once again help put Thanksgiving dinner on the table for people in need through their 12th Annual Thanksgiving Appeal: http://www.goldstar.com/thanksgiving_appeal.
Starting Saturday, November 21, Goldstar members will be able to easily make a donation to a local organization on the Goldstar site and iOS and Android apps. The money raised from these donations will then go to local food banks, homeless shelters and organizations that help feed those in need this Thanksgiving in more than 35 U.S. cities coast to coast.
Confirmed organizations include, but are not limited to:
New Jersey/New York: Community FoodBank of New Jersey
Orange County: Orange County Food Bank
Philadelphia: Philabundance
Phoenix: St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance
Portland: Oregon Food Bank
Sacramento: Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services
San Diego: Feeding America San Diego
San Francisco: Life Learning Academy
San Jose: Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
Seattle: Northwest Harvest
Washington, D.C.: Capital Area Food Bank
Various Cities Nationwide: Feeding America
Goldstar’s Annual Thanksgiving Appeal began in 2004 when the company was still pretty small. The founders discovered that people didn’t buy many tickets just before Thanksgiving, so they decided to use their resources (which at the time were email and the Goldstar website) to encourage people to support an organization that could help make Thanksgiving a little bit better for those who might not have much of a holiday at all.
“That first year we raised $2,160! Not exactly a king’s ransom,” says Goldstar CEO Jim McCarthy. “Goldstar has grown significantly since then. And, funnily enough, this time of year is now our busiest season. But, we’re not too big, nor are we too busy, to remember that it’s important to give back each year to those who need it most.” So the Thanksgiving Appeal tradition lives on.
Over the last few years, Goldstar members, along with Goldstar staff, have helped feed nearly 200,000 people annually! The company hopes to feed a lot more this year. Goldstar makes live entertainment a part of everyday life for more than six million people nationwide.
Whether on the site or in the app, it’s fast and easy to discover local live events — from theater and sports to concerts, comedy and more — with tickets typically at half price or better.
