Community Council: Union Station Homeless Services (KIIS Cares)

Community Council: Union Station Homeless Services

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. They are the San Gabriel Valley’s largest social service agency assisting homeless and very low-income adults and families. Since 1973, Union Station has helped rebuild the lives of thousands of people who were once homeless and without hope.

This year, UHSH is hosting a Dinner In The Park at Pasadena Central Park on Christmas Day! This incredible community event provides thousands of holiday meals and hope for all who attend, including homeless men, women, children, seniors, very low-income families, and those with no place to go during the holidays. The impact of this event in the community is huge!

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Learn more about Union Station Homeless Services by listening to our Community Council interview with Octavia Sisley below! Check out their site here.

 

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Every Sunday @ 7:20 AM on 102.7 KIIS FM!

Read more: http://www.kiisfm.com/onair/kiis-cares-54184/community-council-union-station-homeless-services-14209563/#ixzz3v7ovgtjM

Thanksgiving meals served to those in need during the Pasadena Annual Dinners-in-the-Park (Daily News)

http://photos.dailynews.com/2015/11/photos-thanksgiving-meals-are-served-to-those-in-need-during-the-pasadena-annual-dinners-in-the-park/#12

Meals for homeless and poor planned for Thanksgiving (Fox 11)

Meals for homeless and poor planned for Thanksgiving

 – Thanksgiving will be marked in Los Angeles County today by large gatherings on Skid Row and in Pasadena and Canoga Park to feed homeless and poor residents, and distance races that include charitable aspects.

Actors Dick Van Dyke and Ed Begley Jr. are expected to be among more than 300 volunteers serving Thanksgiving brunch at The Midnight Mission to thousands of homeless or nearly homeless men, women and children. Food bags and donated clothing will also be distributed.

“Of the many services The Midnight Mission provides to our unique community, one of the most important is the sense of family we offer to those who often feel lost and forgotten during the holidays and other days of
celebration,” said Georgia Berkovich, the mission’s director of public affairs.

“Now, more than ever, we need to work together to restore hope and dignity to those in need.”

The Fred Jordan Mission on Skid Row will hold its annual Thanksgiving banquet, serving more than one ton of turkey, topped by 80 gallons of gravy, to homeless people and working families who can’t afford to cook a Thanksgiving dinner, organizers said.

The meal will also include 585 pounds of green beans, 560 pounds of candied yams, 500 pounds of mashed potatoes, hundreds of pounds of traditional cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, 400 pumpkin pies and 220 gallons of fruit punch.

Guests will also receive a family food gift bag.

About 5,000 Thanksgiving dinners are expected to be served to adults and families experiencing homelessness and poverty, senior citizens and those who are alone or unable to afford a holiday meal at Union Station Homeless Services’ Dinner-in-the-Park at Central Park in Pasadena, continuing a tradition that began in 1972.

Volunteer registration for Thanksgiving has closed. Registration to volunteer for the organization’s Christmas Dinner-in-the-Park will begin Dec. 1 on its website, unionstationhs.org.

More than 2,000 people will be served turkey dinners at the 28th annual free Community Thanksgiving Day dinner for the area’s homeless and low-income families at Guadalupe Community Center in Canoga Park.

The public is invited to the 16th annual Gentle Thanksgiving at The Gentle Barn in Santa Clarita, which will feature vegetarian food, a bonfire, Native American drum circle and the opportunity to feed turkeys “that have
been rescued from Thanksgiving,” according to organizers.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2015 annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress released last week, the one-night estimate of homelessness found that the Los Angeles Continuum of Care had the nation’s second-largest amount of homeless people, 41,174, and second-
largest percentage of unsheltered homeless people, 70.3 percent, among major cities’ continuums of care.

The estimate found there were 6,781 more homeless people in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care in 2015 than 2014, a 20 percent increase. A continuum of care is the local planning body responsible for coordinating the full range of homelessness services in a geographic area. The Los Angeles Continuum of Care consists of all of Los Angeles County except for Glendale, Pasadena and Long Beach.

Distance races have also become a growing Thanksgiving tradition.

The inaugural Drumstick Dash on the back lot of CBS Studios in Studio City will consist of a timed competitive 5K race, a timed community 5K run/walk and a Kids Fun Run.

Funds raised through registrations and sponsorships will be used toprovide hot meals, housing, health care and other basic needs to the homeless in the San Fernando Valley.

Organizers hope to make this an annual event.

The Turkey Trot Los Angeles 5K and 10K races will start and end at City Hall. The course will go through Bunker Hill and on Spring Street, passing The Broad contemporary art museum, Grand Park, Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Museum of Contemporary Art.

Some runners will be dressed as turkeys, Pilgrims and pies, according to organizers.

Participants are encouraged to donate time or money to The Midnight Mission.

The third annual 5-kilometer Tofurky Trot will be held outside the Rose Bowl, with prizes going to the top finishers in the men’s, women’s and kids divisions and for the best-costumed runner. Rescued turkeys from The Gentle Barn will be the guests of honor.

Profits from the race will be donated to The Gentle Barn and the National Museum of Animals and Society.

The sixth annual Burbank Community YMCA Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot will be run on a double-loop course in downtown Burbank, with 5- and 10-kilometer races, a 5-kilometer “fun run/walk” and a “kiddie run” for
children 9 years old and younger.

Proceeds from the race will benefit the Burbank Community YMCA’s membership assistance program, which makes its facilities and programs available to the children and families in the city, regardless of ability to
pay.

The first official Thanksgiving was held in the Virginia Colony on Dec. 4, 1619. The traditional meal stems from one held in 1621 by the Wampanoag Indians and the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Continental Congress issued the nation’s first official Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1777.

President George Washington issued a national Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789, his first year in office.

Washington declared a national Thanksgiving holiday for the newly ratified Constitution, so people may thank God for “affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness” and for having “been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, particularly the national one now lately instituted.”

The first four presidents combined to issue six Thanksgiving proclamations. However, the tradition ended in 1815. Abraham Lincoln reinstituted it in 1863 in an attempt to heal the divisions caused by the Civil War. Every president since has made an official Thanksgiving proclamation.

In his Thanksgiving proclamation, President Barack Obama asked the nation to “express our gratitude by welcoming others to our celebrations and recognize those who volunteer today to ensure a dinner is possible for those who might have gone without.”

Copyright 2015 FOX 11 Los Angeles : Download our mobile app for breaking news alerts or to watch FOX 11 News | Follow us on FacebookTwitter and YouTube.

Pasadena’s Operation Gobble Gobble Lands for 13th Year (Pasadena Now)

Published : Friday, November 20, 2015 | 12:51 PM

Mayor Terry Tornek, Ralphs Grocery Company and Food 4 Less will host the 13th Annual “Operation Gobble Gobble” beginning at 7:30 a.m., Saturday, November 21, 2015 in front of Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Ave. to distribute 450 Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings to local human service agencies.

In about 90 minutes, a whirlwind of charitable goodwill envelopes the area in front of City Hall as volunteers dash about to distributed the donated food to a long line of pre-determined charitable organizations that receive the items for re-distribution to their clients prior to Thanksgiving.

Including this year, more than over 4,500 Thanksgiving feasts have been provide to the Pasadena community by Ralphs and Food 4 Less, the equivalent of about 45,000 meals, as part of Operation Gobble Gobble.

“Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to give thanks for the many blessings we’ve received throughout the year,” Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek said. “I’m pleased to continue the tradition of Operation Gobble Gobble with Ralphs Grocery Company and Food 4 Less, who make it possible to extend a Thanksgiving blessing to many of Pasadena’s most needy families.”

Ralphs and Food 4 Less are generously donating the Thanksgiving turkeys, along with stuffing, canned vegetables, potatoes and pumpkin pie. In addition, volunteer representatives from the companies will team up with Pasadena firefighters and other community members to help distribute the food.

Representatives of community organizations including, among others, Pasadena Unified School District Healthy Start, Union Station Homeless Services, Armenian Relief Society, Ronald McDonald House, Mother’s Club, Friends in Deed Pantry, Lutheran Social Services, Walter Hoving Home, Elizabeth House, and Door of Hope will receive the food for distribution to the community.

“Ralphs and Food 4 Less are pleased to be active citizens in Pasadena, and we are proud to join with Mayor Tornek to help make this Thanksgiving special for many people who otherwise might not have the resources to enjoy a turkey dinner with all the fixings,” said Kendra Doyle, Public Relations Vice President.

For more information about “Operation Gobble Gobble’” contact Rhonda Stone at (626) 744-7147.

Stay connected to the City of Pasadena! Visit the City of Pasadena online at  www.cityofpasadena.net; follow the city on Twitter @PasadenaGov, www.twitter.com/pasadenagov, and like the City on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofpasadena. Or call the Citizen Service Center, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, at (626) 744-7311.

Giving Thanks by Giving Back: Union Station Homeless Services feeds thousands in need at Annual Dinner-in-the-Park

Giving Thanks by Giving Back: Union Station Homeless Services feeds thousands in need at Annual Dinner-in-the-Park

PASADENA – The best way to give thanks is to give back! To show their community spirit and compassion, hundreds of volunteers of all ages will gather together on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day to serve meals and cheer at Union Station Homeless Services’ annual Dinner-in-the-Park.

 

For more than 40 years, this beloved tradition has been a staple event for the community during the holiday season. Volunteers help prepare and serve meals – including turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and pie – to all who are
hungry at Pasadena’s Central Park on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

 

“The event brings the community together! Even if it is for one day, hopefully one day leads to another and another and so on and so on!” said Ginger Mort, member of the Los Angeles Disney VoluntEAR Leadership Council and a Union Station Dinner-in-the-Park volunteer since 2001.

 

Union Station Homeless Services expects to several thousand plates of food this Thanksgiving, November 26th. Meal recipients will include adults and families experiencing homelessness and poverty, senior citizens, and those who are alone at the holidays or unable to afford a holiday meal.

 

In addition to volunteers, the event is made possible thanks to generous corporate partners, including HomeStreet Bank, Tsutayo Ichioka & Satsuki Nakao Charitable Foundation, SuperKing Markets, Longo Toyota Scion Lexus, Pasadena Federal Credit Union, Dove Properties, Norton Rose Fullbright, Pasadena Convention Center, Centerplate, Chipotle and Whole Foods.

“The Pasadena Convention Center and Centerplate is thrilled to support Union Station Homeless Services by preparing turkeys for Dinner-in-the-Park,” said Michael Ross, CEO, Pasadena Center Operating Company. “We applaud Union Station’s work to serve thousands of meals to the hungry and homeless during the holiday season and are pleased to participate in such a worthwhile cause.”

 

“Dinner-in-the-Park is truly a community event and simply would not be possible without the help of dedicated volunteers and dozens of businesses who make this event such a success,” said Marv Gross, CEO of Union Station. All who are able to help are invited to donate their time, food items or funds to this valuable holiday outreach program.

 

Volunteer registration for Thanksgiving opens Sunday, November 1 at 8am, and registration for Christmas opens December 1. Union Station Homeless Services is in need of non-perishable food donations. A wish list of much-needed items can be found on the event page at https://unionstationhs.org/event/dinner-in-the-park-2015/. The community is invited to drop off these supplies in the indicated
sizes at 412 S. Raymond, Pasadena.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Due to Health Department regulations, Union Station Homeless Services is no longer able to accept turkey or prepared food donations at the event.