Families from all over the San Gabriel Valley plan to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal Thursday at Pasadena’s Central Park.
About 2,000 volunteers with Union Station Homeless Services will dish out turkey, mashed potatoes and all the trimmings to low-income and homeless families and seniors.
Rabbi Marvin Gross of Union Station remembers how he felt when his own 10-year-old daughter – now a college student – scooped food on plates for other children.
“To watch your child participate in helping someone who doesn’t have everything they need to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday – I’d say it’s a moment of satisfaction and pride, ” he said.
This year is the nonprofit’s 38th annual Thanksgiving dinner event. Gross said about 4,000 people showed up at last year and they’re expecting about the same turnout this year. Food will be served at 11:45 a.m. at Central Park at the corner of Del Mar Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue.
Gross said they have enough volunteers for Thanksgiving but could use food donations — or some extra help cleaning up the day after the feast. For more information, go to the event home page.
With his two daughters, Lynda, 16, left, and Lillian, 12, Martin Samaniego speaks Thursday, May 3, 2012 at a ” greening celebration” of Euclid Villa Transitional Housing complex in Pasadena. A hundred and seventeen families have transitioned from homelessness at Euclid Villa and Samaniego was the first male to live at the transitional housing. -Photo by Terry Miller
In 2010, Union Station Homeless Services received a $1.18 million grant from the Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles, City of Industry Program to renovate Euclid Villa, a transitional housing facility for formerly homeless families. Those renovations are now complete and a celebration was held Thursday afternoon to commemprate the work.
Families now residing in “greener,” more energy efficient housing. Rabbi Marvin Gross thanked Union Station Homeless Services partners: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, City of Glendale, City of Pasadena, Pacific Housing Alliance, and The John Stewart Company, for their ongoing support.
With his two daughters, Lynda, 16, and Lillian, 12, at his side, Martin Samaniego spoke at the ” greening celebration” of Euclid Villa Transitional Housing complex in Pasadena. He explained what it was like for him as single father and the first male occupant in the transitional housing units. Of the one hundred and seventeen families have transitioned from homelessness at Euclid Villa, Samaniego was the first male to live at the Villa.
Pasadena-based Union Station Homeless Services is the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. Union Station provides comprehensive, community-based solutions to help men, women and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness. Our housing, employment and life skills classes offer people in need a tailored approach to achieving a life of self-sufficiency. www.unionstationhs.org
Euclid Villa Transitional Housing opened in 1999 through a partnership between Union Station Homeless Services and Pacific Housing Alliance. The facility consists of two historical buildings providing private apartments for 14 formerly homeless families from the cities of Pasadena and Glendale. Residents have access to community rooms, a library and children’s activity area. While residing in the complex, families receive housing resources and case management in preparation to transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency.
An ensemble of world-class musicians performed at the seventh annual “An Evening for the Station: A Soulful, Swinging Celebration.
More than 180 guests converged at the The LA Music Academy to enjoy the celebrity concert, which raised more than $120,000 to benefit Union Station Foundation, the largest social service agency serving the poor and homeless in the Pasadena area.
Performers included Jean Baylor, Robben Ford, Kevyn Lettau, Eric Marienthal, Michael Shapiro, Jerry Watts and the Yellowjackets, including Russell Ferrante, Jimmy Haslip and Maracus Baylor. Adam Arkin was master of ceremonies. World-renowned visual artist Tim Biskup created the visuals for the event, including posters and a limited-edition serigraph print of the poster. The public an purchase the serigraph on Biskup’s website The proceeds will benefit Union Station.
Co-chaired by La Canada Flintridge residents Jennifer Essen and Sherry Kirchheimer, the committee worked for months preparing for this evening.
Gerry Puhara, who created An Evening for the Station and chaired the committee for four years, continues to serve on the event committee with other LCF residents Edwina Dedlow, Terry Gordon, Carol Muller, Shirley Nakaki and Marjan Neyestani.
An Evening for the Station has become a passion for everyone involved, including the musicians, the committee and the faculty and students at LA Music Academy. The intimate nature of the event, along with the dedication and year-round involvement of the performers, made this a truly unique and special evening for the guests and the performers. An Evening for the Station allows the performers the rare opportunity to create music in a relaxed and familiar setting. The artists donated their time and talent, ensuring that all proceeds from the concert benefit Union Station’s programs for homeless adults and families.
Union Station Foundation is a community-based, non-denominational, non-profit social service agency serving Pasadena and the West San Gabriel Valley. Its mission is to provide homeless and poor men, women and families with the means to transform their lives so they can become productive, stable and self-supporting. The Foundation believes in the inherent worth and dignity of every individual and strives to provide the highest quality of services based on a foundation of respect for all people.
To accomplish its mission, Union Station Foundation operates a 36-bed adult shelter, a 50-bed family shelter, a 14-unit transitional housing facility for families, an intake and assessment center, and a career development program. Its professional staff, along with over 500 community volunteers, provides an array of supportive services to residents and clients. They serve more than 155,000 meals each year to the homeless and hungry. All programs and services are provided free of charge.
