The stats are grim. On a single night more than 550,000 are homeless throughout the United States, nearly 45,000 are homeless in Los Angeles, more than 3,000 are homeless in the San Gabriel Valley, and nearly 650 are homeless in Pasadena. With numbers like these, it’s easy to see why homelessness is no laughing matter. But Union Station Homeless Services, the San Gabriel Valley’s largest provider of homeless services, is tackling the serious issue with humor during a night of comedy to help those in need.For sixteen years the organization has held it’s “An Evening for the Station” event featuring celebrity actors and musicians like Hector Elizondo and Jeff Goldblum, the Yellow Jackets and many others. This year, the evening will also feature celebrities, but this time they’ll take the stage and perform stand-up comedy, as way of demonstrating that Homeless is No Laughing Matter.
The event takes place Thursday, October 15th at 6:30pm in Pasadena at ArcLight Cinemas in the Paseo Colorado Shopping Center at 300 E. Colorado Blvd. Organizers expect more than 400 community, business, and civic leaders. The night of comedy will feature a line-up of comedians seen on HBO, Showtime, Comedy Central, and more. All funds raised will benefit Union Station to help homeless adults and families.
Here’s the list of featured comedians:
Jonah and Kumail (Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail): Based on the popular live show, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail features comedy icons and up-and-comers performing in the back of a comic book shop. Jonah Ray is an actor, writer and comedian also known for being one of the co-hosts of The Nerdist Podcast and television show. Kumail Nanjiani has guest-starred in various comedy shows like Portlandia, and more recently is a regular on HBO’s Silicon Valley.
Matt Braunger (MADtv, Live at Gotham): Matt was recently a series regular on MADtv, his television credits also include The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Live at Gotham. Matt has performed at a variety of prestigious comedy festivals and was recently featured in Variety’s “10 Comics to Watch.”
Matt Peters (Showtime’s WEEDS, Netflix’s Orange is the New Black): Matt has been seen on Showtime’s WEEDS, G4TV’s Attack of the Show, and most notably, he has a recurring role on the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated Netflix series, Orange is the New Black. Additionally, he hosts the popular bi-weekly comedy show, BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! that takes place at the infamous R Bar in Los Angeles.
Ron Funches (TBS’s Conan, NBC’s Undateable): Ron has a recurring role on Disney’s Crash and Bernstein, Comedy Central’s Kroll Show and a starring role in NBC’s Undateable. He performs stand up all over the United States impressing audiences everywhere. Most recently, Ron was named one of the “Best New Comedians” by Esquire Magazine.
Nikki Glaser (Comedy Central’s @Midnight, MTV’s Nikki & Sara LIVE): Nikki is a comedian, writer, and host whose television appearances have included The Tonight Show, CONAN, and Last Comic Standing. She was the co-host of the MTV late night talk show, Nikki & Sara LIVE. Nikki can currently be seen as a regular contestant on Comedy Central’s @Midnight and will guest star on the upcoming season of Inside Amy Schumer.
Cameron Esposito (Put Your Hands Together, Chelsea Lately): Cameron is a fast rising Los Angeles-based standup comic, actor and writer who has been called “the future of comedy” by none other than Jay Leno. Cameron hosts Put Your Hands Together, has a biweekly column on The AV Club, and has appeared on Late Late with Craig Ferguson, @Midnight, CONAN, and as a regular on Chelsea Lately and TakePartLive among others.
Baron Vaughn (NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Netflix’s Grace and Frankie): Baron is a comedian who has performed on Conan, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and has had numerous appearances on Comedy Central, most recently in the form of his own “Half Hour” comedy special. Baron has performed in comedy festivals nationwide, TV shows and films and was a series regular on USA’s Fairly Legal (2010-2012). Catch him on the upcoming Netflix Original Series Grace and Frankie starting in May 2015.
Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased at www.unionstationhs.org or (626) 250-4559. Event sponsorship begins at $500. To become an event or publicity sponsor, call (626) 240-4558.
Carrie Mehdi Foundation (CMF), a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, announces $3,000 in donations to three non-profit organizations that provide support services to the homeless population in Southern California.
The donations were made to the following organizations:
The Midnight Mission, Los Angeles — $1,000
Union Station Homeless Services, Pasadena — $1,000
Homeless Health Care, Los Angeles – – $1,000
This is the second consecutive year of these donations. CMF began making these donations in 2014 at the direction of Greg Mehdi, a founding member of the Board of Directors of CMF. Sadly, Greg passed away in a car accident in Los Angeles in July 2014 at an early age of thirty. Speaking of the significance of these donations, Greg’s father and CMF Board Member, Zafar Mehdi said, “Greg lived and worked in Los Angeles. He was very passionate about helping the homeless population and had specifically recommended that CMF support these organizations. We are pleased to make these donations in Greg’s memory. In keeping with Greg’s wishes, we will continue to support these organizations for the wonderful work that they do in helping the homeless population”.
To highlight the importance of making these donations, Zafar Mehdi personally delivered the donations to the leaders of the three organizations.
Background information on the Carrie Mehdi Foundation, Greg Mehdi, and our foundation events are listed: Website: www.CarrieMehdiFoundation.org
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarrieMehdiFoundation
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarrieMehdiFoun
PHOTOS
DONATIONS MADE IN MEMORY OF GREG MEHDI
Donationto The Midnight Mission, Los Angeles
Zafar Mehdi of CMF presents a $1,000 donation check to Larry Adamson, President & CEO of the Midnight Mission. Photo with staff of the Midnight Mission, from L to R: Ryan Navales – Manager of Government & Public Affairs, Larry Adamson, Zafar Mehdi, and Georgia Berkovich – Director of Public Affairs
Donationto Union Station Homeless Services, Pasadena.
Zafar Mehdi of CMF (middle) presents a $1,000 donation check to Marvin Gross (left), President & CEO and Dana Bean (right), Director of Development, of Union Station Homeless Services, Pasadena. Donationto Homeless Health Care Los Angeles
Zafar Mehdi of CMF presents a $1,000 donation check to Mark Casanova, Executive Director of Homeless Health Care Los Angeles (HHCLA). Photo with staff of HHCLA, from L to R: Mark Casanova, Stephany Campos, Amber Roth, Dyhan Cardona, Jen Tougas, Maryanne Alderson, Zafar Mehdi and Chloe Blalock.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 31, 2015 Sunday Funday! – Fallen Fruit’s Public Fruit Jam Returning to the One Colorado Courtyard
Sunday, August 16, 11am – 2pm
This fruit-filled event is supported in part by Whole Foods Market
A portion of the day’s jam will be donated to the Union Station Homeless Services Family Center
One Colorado Courtyard – 41 Hugus Alley, Pasadena CA 626.564.1066 Media contact: A. McLean Emenegger / mclean@onecolorado.com / 626.564.1066 x16
OLD PASADENA, CA: Fallen Fruit’s Public Fruit Jam Sunday, August 16, 11am to 2pm
Join us for a fun and friendly day of making jam and new pals! Fallen Fruit’s Public Fruit Jam is a wonderful social and community-building event that’s perfect for kids, adults, families and even first dates.
Folks are invited to drop by the courtyard anytime between 11am – 2pm for the Fruit Jam. Everyone is invited to contribute home-grown or picked public fruit to the cause.
Selecting fruit goodies from the communal fruit table, guests will join Jam Teams of 3 to 5 people. (New friends!) Your team’s jam ingredients can be anything you bring along or score at the fruit table. Fallen Fruit encourages experimental jams, such as basil guava or lemon pepper jelly. You can even add a kick of jalapeno or bite with some fresh ginger. Almost all fruits can be jammed, even bananas – if you dare!
Each jam session runs approximately 45 minutes from cutting to preserving. Fallen Fruit staffers will be on hand to help out. In the end, you will have jam to keep, swap and contribute to the tasting table where you can savor the fruits of your labors. And who knows – you may also leave with a new BFF or adorable meet-cute story!
A portion of the jam produced at this event (+ bread and peanut butter) will be donated to the Union Station Homeless Services Family Center.
We are grateful to Whole Foods Market and their locations in Pasadena on Arroyo Parkway and Foothill Boulevard for helping support this event.
About Fallen Fruit:
Fallen Fruit invite you to experience your City as a fruitful place, to collectively re-imagine the function of public participation and urban space, and to explore the meaning of community through creating and sharing new and abundant resources. Fruit Trees! Share your fruit! Change the world!
Fallen Fruit is an art collaboration originally conceived in 2004 by David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young. Since 2013, David and Austin have continued the collaborative work. Fallen Fruit began by mapping fruit trees growing on or over public property in Los Angeles. The collaboration has expanded to include serialized public projects and site-specific installations and happenings in various cities around the world. More information at fallenfruit.org.
About One Colorado:
One Colorado is a collection of 17 historic buildings housing a curated mix of nationally acclaimed retailers and designers, unique local merchants, inventive restaurants and a boutique cinema. A full city block located between Colorado, Union, Delacey and Fair Oaks, One Colorado is the retail centerpiece of Old Pasadena and favorite casual gathering place for the greater community, with public events hosted year-round in its central courtyard.
LOS ANGELES – June 11, 2015 – The California Community Foundation (CCF)
has awarded $8,897,722 through 94 grants to Los Angeles County nonprofit
organizations working to address the wide-ranging needs of our region. CCF
supports this critical work in the community through discretionary funds entrusted
to the foundation by donors throughout its 100-year history.
The grants this quarter support the foundation’s diverse priority areas: the arts, civic
engagement, education, health, housing and economic development, immigrant
integration, nonprofit sustainability, smart growth and transition-aged youth.
Grants were also awarded in support of key CCF initiatives:
• Building a Lifetime of Options and Opportunities for Men (BLOOM) is
California’s most ambitious effort to improve educational and career
opportunities for Black male youth.
• El Monte Community Building Initiative engages local residents in
ensuring children in the City of El Monte grow up healthier and better
prepared for college and a career.
• Los Angeles Preschool Advocacy Initiative (LAPAI) seeks to increase
access to high quality early childhood education in underserved
communities.
• Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund (LASIF) combines scholarships
with college preparation and completion services to increase the number of
low-income students who graduate with post-secondary degrees.
• One Los Angeles, One Nation seeks to change misperceptions and
promote incorporation of the American Muslim and perceived Muslim
communities through civic engagement, leadership development and public
policy.
• Preparing Achievers for Tomorrow (PAT) provides music, sports and
recreational opportunities to low-income youth in South Los Angeles.
“We applaud our donors and nonprofit partners who have not only recognized the
needs in our community, but have shown leadership to address these issues,” said
CCF President and CEO Antonia Hernández. “As the foundation enters its 100th year
of service to Los Angeles County, we are proud to support this work to improve the
quality of life for all Angelenos.”
CCF unites the power of philanthropy with innovative strategies to create greater
equity, opportunity and prosperity in Los Angeles County. The foundation has served
as a public, charitable organization since 1915, empowering donors to pursue their
own personal passions and to collaborate in transforming Los Angeles. CCF
stewards $1.48 billion in assets and manages nearly 1,600 charitable foundations,
funds and legacies.
(View full list of California Community Foundation Grants by Funding Area HERE).
For more information, visit calfund.org, like us on Facebook at
facebook.com/calfund and follow us on Twitter @Calfund.
Pasadena, CA –Union Station Homeless Services, San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency helping men, women, and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness, today announced it has been selected by the Yard House in Pasadena to receive a $1,000 grant as part of the Restaurant Community Grants program from the Darden Restaurants Foundation, the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants.
The annual grants program empowers every restaurant in the Darden family — Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, Eddie V’s, Seasons 52, and Yard House — to award a $1,000 grant to an exceptional nonprofit organization in its local community and support its community programs.
The donation will enable Union Station to continue its Community Meals Program, which provides warm and nutritious cooked meals on a daily basis to individuals and families experiencing homelessness and very low-income community members.
“We are so grateful for the generous support of the Yard House and Darden Restaurants,” says Dana Bean, Director of Development with Union Station Homeless Services. “These funds will help us feed hungry men, women and children in our community.”
“We’re proud to be able to support Union Station Homeless Services through our Restaurant Community Grants program,” said Stephanie Ghertner, Director of the Darden Foundation. “Our team members are incredibly passionate about getting involved in their local communities, and this program enables them to do just that.”
The goal of Union Station’s Community Meals Program is to feed all who are hungry and come to eat. The program serves an estimated 165 unduplicated people per day, including shelter residents, people who are homeless, people living with mental or physical illness or substance use, senior citizens and low-income working people. The program provides 130,000 meals annually, including a daily breakfast and lunch for hungry community members and three meals a day for Union Station’s Adult and Family Center residents. It is Pasadena’s only free prepared meals program open daily to the community.
For additional information on Union Station Homeless Services, please visit www.unionstationhs.org.
###
About Union Station Homeless Services
Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is committed to helping homeless men, women and children rebuild their lives. Union Station Homeless Services is part of a premier group of human services agencies in Los Angeles County that are leading the way to ending homelessness in our community. We are the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. We believe every person deserves a life of dignity and a safe place to call home. With over 40 years of experience, we proudly offer a full continuum of seven programs in seven locations; services include street outreach, intake/assessment, care coordination and navigation, meals, shelter, housing, employment development, benefits enrollment, and referrals to medical and mental health services.
The Darden Foundation
The Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation is the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants, Inc. The Darden Foundation’s mission is to maintain a spirit of service and community engagement as defining characteristics of Darden’s family of restaurants – Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s and Yard House. Since 1995, the Darden Foundation has awarded more than $71 million in grants to leading nonprofit organizations that align with its mission and community priorities: Recipe for Success®, Preservation of Natural Resources and Good Neighbor grants. Through the Darden Harvest program, Darden Restaurants has also donated more than 77 million pounds of food to hunger relief agencies across the U.S. and Canada. In 2011, the Darden Foundation introduced the Restaurant Community Grants program that is dedicated to supporting local nonprofit organizations in the hundreds of communities where we live and serve. For more information, please visit www.dardenfoundation.com.
Kumail (Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail): Based on the popular live show, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail features comedy icons and up-and-comers performing in the back of a comic book shop. Jonah Ray is an actor, writer and comedian also known for being one of the co-hosts of The Nerdist Podcast and television show. Kumail Nanjiani has guest-starred in various comedy shows like Portlandia, and more recently is a regular on HBO’s Silicon Valley.
