2017 as well THANKSGIVING - NEED A FEAST? TEMPLE BETH HILLEL - VALLEY VILLAGE CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY MEAL

FLOCKING TO A FREE THANKSGIVING DINNER?
IF YOU'RE HOMELESS, THIS DAY IS THE DAY YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE A HOT MEAL.


NO PLANS YET?
TEMPLE BETH HILLEL - VALLEY VILLAGE

THANKSGIVING

FLOCKING TO A FREE THANKSGIVING DINNER?
IF YOU'RE HOMELESS, THIS DAY IS THE DAY YOU ARE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE A HOT MEAL.

OPEN YOUR WALLET TO THESE HOMELESS and POVERTY ACTIVISTS INSTEAD OF SPENDING IT ALL ON BLACK FRIDAY! OUR 2015 PICKS

OUR EMPHASIS THIS YEAR IS ON SMALL GROUPS or ORGANIZATIONS WITH "ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES" TYPE MANAGEMENT and VOLUNTEERS who personally interact with the homeless and poor or organizations whose work benefits thousands - but through smaller settings. 

MY FRIEND'S PLACE - Hollywood Homeless Teens (Many coming in from other parts of the Country)
MY FRIENDS PLACE  100% privately funded

"In 1988, Steve LePore and Craig Scholz initiated a volunteer-led, mobile meal program to distribute sack lunches to the homeless youth in the Hollywood community. Soon the volunteers built trust with the young people and realized that youth are driven to the streets by abuse, abandonment and neglect by families and caregivers. The needs and challenges of homeless youth go well beyond the critical condition of hunger.

Two years later, the volunteer group first opened the doors of a facility they called My Friend’s Place where they began to offer social services and creative opportunities in addition to basic needs . Today, My Friend’s Place is a thriving, professionally staffed drop-in Resource Center serving more than 1,400 homeless youth ages 12 to 25 and their children each year. Our primary goal is to lower traditional barriers to service and provide homeless youth with the opportunity to improve their psychological, intellectual and physical capacity to reach their potential...."

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Curt's Kitchen serving the poor hot meals in San Pedro

137 N. Pacific Avenue , San Pedro, California.
(between First Street and Santa Cruz)
If you'd like to volunteer or donate contact
Helen Grove at 310.831.3480   San Pedro Catholic Worker lay ministry group
INFORMATION LINK for CURTS KITCHEN
HOLY TRINITY PARISH LINK  (source of outreach workers)

BE SURE YOUR DONATIONS ARE MARKED FOR CURTS KITCHEN.  San Pedro has become a very expensive area to live in, situated next to the Palos Verdes peninsula.  Many of the low income residents are people who have lived in the area since before it became so expensive.

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Angel Hanz for the Homeless (and their Pets) serving in North Hollywood at the park near the library.

ANGEL HANZ FOR THE HOMELESS

Angel Hanz for the Homeless assists the homeless with keeping their animals out of the killing shelters by supplying the animals with comfort and care, including medical, while they are on the streets. This non profit has the potential to expand services but is in need of volunteers and donations.  This group has an increasingly vegan point of view.

The group recently provided FREE RABIES SHOTS FOR CATS and DOGS by a vet!  Angel Hanz has deep empathy from personal experience.

"We always appreciate additional VOLUNTEERS!"
Call 818.358.3663 if you would like to help or if you would like more information.

You can donate via PayPal
or by mail: ANGEL HANZ FOR THE HOMELESS, INC. P.O. BOX 10716, Burbank, CA 91510

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LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK (the source for 680 other sites for distributions.)
LA FOOD BANK - STATS and links to how to donate

One in SIX people in LA experience HUNGER.  1.7 MILLION

The bank has 680 distribution sites/agencies.

 

97Cents of every dollar you donate actually used for services including food in the parks and food for seniors on fixed incomes. 

 

 

  

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ANY ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES SHOWERS FOR THE HOMELESS

BUTTERFLIES OVER THE HARVEST

picture from Desktop Nexus

THANKSGIVING

OUR BLACK FRIDAY PICKS FOR DONATIONS TO NONPROFITS WILL APPEAR TOMORROW

FIND THAT BUTTERFLY AMONG THE FALLEN LEAVES

Image from ButterflySparks

COLD WEATHER SHELTERS OPEN - FEEDS AND GIVEAWAYS - NONPROFITS LOOK FOR DONATIONS

As anyone whose been homeless during this season knows THIS IS THE TIME OF THE YEAR when you'll be invited to a whole lot of FEEDS, this is the time of the year when there will be used clothing giveaways,  this is the time of the year when people will be donating scarves and hats and socks, this is the time of the year when those who have will be thinking of where they want to put their tax deductible charitable contribution money to the have nots.  Or at least the management.

So when the givers come through the shelter looking at you like you're a zoo animal, do you smile? 

COLD WEATHER SHELTERS have opened so at least there is the cot and being indoors for a while. (But some year round shelters use this time of year to KICK OUT residents they don't like, reasoning that sending them to a cold weather shelter is not actually demoting them! It is when you were under the impression you had a place in line for housing!)

LIFE CYCLE OF A BUTTERFLY - EACH OF US IN TRANSITION

THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS - ABOUT THE ONLY TIME MANY PEOPLE EVER THINK OF HOMELESS PEOPLE

Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually the ONLY time during the year that most people think of homeless people.  So many charities and philanthropies get involved in staging holiday dinners for the homeless at churches, shelters, and other venues.  Pictures of worn out, sick, old, and disheveled men eating their turkey meal as a break before they return to street homelessness decorate the mailings that some charities send, and certainly those homeless people exist. 

But some of these places give the impression that ALL HOMELESS ARE STREET HOMELESS and frankly, we think there are more options for street homeless than there are for people who are just experiencing homelessness for the first time due to the economic conditions in the USA - loosing homes, evicted from apartments, out of jobs, broke due to a major medical problem in the family...  or displaced due to hurricanes and superstorms.

Some shelters soliciting donations would have the average american believe that all homeless are mentally ill or have a drug problem. 

Living in poverty is stressful and depressing, but we don't hear too much about people being helped to the point where THEY ARE RECIEVING THE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO GET WELL.  No, what we hear about is how people who are not mentlally ill are pushed by case managers to lie that they are.  We hear about people being threatened with termination (being put back out on the street)  if they don't "comply" (obey) and people being sent to certain mental health clinics that collaborate with lies, people being sent to certain lawyers to get SSI as if these shelters have some sort of deal. 

Everybody likes the story of someone who was way down there looking up at the curb getting housing because thats drama, but if you're reading this and you are NOT HOMELESS, consider those who are simply parking overnight, sleeping in their vans, trying to go to school, trying to find work, and need a helping hand EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR!

THANKSGIVING - THE BIG HOMELESS HOLIDAY

OPINION BY DC.
Thanksgiving is the BIG HOMELESS HOLIDAY. This is the day that homeless charities focus on and it's maybe bigger than Christmas since Christmas is for Christians and Thanksgiving is for everyone. Pictures of Homeless People who Fit The Stereotype - usually bearded men from skid row who are on the pavement - are circulated and, though those people are part of our population, they are also the stereotype.

It's that stereotype that holds a lot of other homeless people down. As soon as people hear "homeless" they think you spent time on the street as a drug addict. So while the charities collect a lot of money based on that stereotype, many of us find THERE ARE NO SERVICES FOR THOSE OF US WHO WERE NEVER ON THE STREET, NEVER ON DRUGS, WHO DO NOT HAVE CRIMINAL RECORDS.

Finding a shelter that gives a shit about you is even more difficult if you are CHILDLESS and SINGLE! There is so much focus on familys, women with children, abused women.

So today I'm thankful that I'm not on the street. I'm also frustrated that there isn't much out there for homeless people like me.

SOVA GIVES OUT 850 CHICKENS (and the fixings) THANKS TO REPUBLIC SERVICES

SOVA Food Bank located on Vanowen and Havenhurst in the San Fernando Valley, gave out 850 chickens (along with corn, stuffing, yams, cranberry sauces, etc.) yesterday in a major give out that had hundreds standing in line. REPUBLIC SERVICES - a RECYCLING and WASTE COLLECTION company provided the chickens.

Homeless and Low Income people who benefited want to thank SOVA and REPUBLIC SERVICES. We're linking to that company above. We think it's interesting because so many homeless recycle for money.

THANKSGIVING DAY YOU ARE SURE TO EAT

Turkey, turkey, and more turkey...

This is to those of you who are holing up in coffee houses today, on your laptops, making that tea bag last three refills. The libraries are closed for the day, or two, and the parks may offer a feed here and there.

CHRISTMAS CHARITIES and THANKSGIVING FEEDS to the HOMELESS forget us the REST OF THE YEAR!

CHRISTMAS and THANKSGIVING!

Two days out of 365 that you are pretty much guaranteed to have a hot meal when your homeless, as long as you don't mind listening to a heavy dose of preaching along with your dessert.

"Missions" capitalize on images of raggedy street people hunkering down at a common table for some turkey, when they do their solitications for funds. HEY it's TAX DEDUCTIBLE so pull out your wallet!

In some cities the homeless spend their days on public buses and on foot, circulating to HOMELESS FEEDS, set up in parks, churches, and shelters, and if they have a Food Stamp card too, they will not likely feel the pangs of hunger ever.

For many homeless, churches also offer clothing give outs, and personal product giveaways. But you may have to stand being prayed over before you can leave with your loot.

Stores that provide for food banks must also be getting huge TAX DEDUCTIONS for all those stale loaves of bread and old pies they donate.

FOR THE HOMELESS FOOD IS THE EASY PART... It's SHELTER THAT'S DIFFICULT!

THANKSGIVING LA FAMILY HOUSING - GIVES OUT EVICTION NOTICES !

We've picked up our first ugly rumor! Please verify!

It seems that a caseworker for Los Angeles Family Housing actually drove to the shelter in North Hollywood, California, with a stack of eviction notices ON THANKSGIVING DAY, his day off, letting up to 30 homeless know that they had to be out on December first, the reasoning being that THE COLD WEATHER SHELTER in SYLMAR opens December first!

While some of these people know they have broken Rules, word has it that the new director John Horn and upper management are behind making RULES that are ARBITRARY AND RIDICULOUS in order to clear the house, which has a wait list of over 400 people... Further, we hear that the past director who had more heart, Jerome Nilson, is now at some branch of PATH...

HAVE THE BEST THANKSGIVING YOU CAN !

Ah Thanksgiving! Maybe you and your family are having a FREE DINNER at a Charity somewhere... Maybe you'll be panhandling in front of the 7/11 for a hotdog... Wherever you are, we hope you have food, that you aren't going hungry today or any day of the year.

LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE FOODBANK OR FEED!