by Shelbrena Payne | Dec 26, 2020 | Feature, General, News
Los Angeles, CA. 2020 has been an unprecedented year with the loss of over 315,000 lives, the closing of thousands of local businesses, which has left thousands of families food-deprived. Organizations like No Us Without You LA continues to be a pioneer in the Los Angeles community, providing meals for undocumented Back Of House Staff and their families living in the Los Angeles area.
No Us Without You LA is a public charity. While the stimulus packages and government assistance programs have been provided for those in need, families of undocumented works are not privy to these subsidies.
Nonprofit leaders say that access to breakfast, lunch, and dinner should not be an American privilege but a human right. They believe that as a community, we must not forget about the workers and their families who sacrifice and work hard to put food on our tables. “Your kind gesture this holiday season will provide an entire family one week’s worth of meals. If you are looking to give a week’s worth of meals, or simply donate visit No Us Without You LA,” leaders explain.
Here’s a video about the organization:
A brief history of No US Without You LA:
We are Va’La Hospitality
Va’La Hospitality is a bar consultancy group founded by Damian Diaz and Othón Nolasco in 2017 from a desire to give back to their industry. Rather than agonize over how undocumented workers affected by COVID-19 would feed their families, the two partners acted. And in just 24 hours they founded No Us Without You, a 501c3 Non-Profit Public Charity providing food security to the most disenfranchised hospitality workers affected by the pandemic. No Us Without You has transformed Va’La Hospitality’s Boyle Heights office into a food distribution hub. Donations have enabled the two partners to provide dry goods and fresh produce to undocumented back-of-house staff such as dishwashers, bussers, line cooks, and porters. Launched in mid-March with a goal of feeding 30 families a week, No Us Without You is now feeding over 1,300 families per week. Diaz and Nolasco plan on offering food relief indefinitely as they have embraced their new roles as Nonprofit Co-Founders. They are proud to be Humans Feeding Humans.
by Elisa Klein | Dec 16, 2020 | Feature, General, News
Pasadena, CA. ‘Tis the season to spread cheer to vulnerable children and families during the holidays. Union Station Homeless Services is now collecting gifts for 400 children, ages ranging from newborn to 18 years. The theme this year is “something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read”– toys for all ages, fun patterned face masks, playful socks and new books. If you’d like to be a holiday hero and bring a smile to vulnerable children and families this year, read on to learn more.
Here are three ways to help:
1. Host a toy drive or donate a gift. Donations can be dropped off at our Admin Center at 825 E. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA, Monday-Friday between 9:30am-4:00pm until December 16, 2020 or ordered for delivery from our Amazon Wish Lists:
2. Contribute a tax-deductible donation to Union Station Homeless Services. Every dollar makes a difference in the lives of families experiencing homelessness during the harsh winter months.
3.
Spread holiday cheer by spreading the word. Please share about our holiday toy drive with your friends and family on social media by using the graphic. Remember to follow us on
Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter and
LinkedIn and tag our page in your posts!
From: Union Station Homeless Services
We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is committed to helping homeless individuals and families 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. Since 1973, Union Station has helped rebuild the lives of thousands of people who were once homeless and without hope.
The vision expressed four decades ago by the community volunteers who founded this agency still rings true today — every person deserves a life of dignity and a safe place to call home.
With over 45 years of experience, we proudly offer a full continuum of nine programs throughout the San Gabriel Valley. Our core services include outreach, bridge housing, permanent housing, and employment. In addition, we offer basic needs such as meals and showers, and well as care coordination, benefits enrollment, and referrals to medical and mental health services.
We know that housing ends homelessness. Over the years, we have learned some valuable lessons:
by Shelbrena Payne | Dec 1, 2020 | Feature, General, News
Los Angeles, CA. Project Ropa is a nonprofit foundation based in Los Angeles serving the homeless community. The nonprofit works to restore dignity by bringing clean clothing and hygiene kits directly to people experiencing homelessness. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority, there are a total of 63,706 people homeless and 46,090 still in need of shelter. Over the past year, there has been a 12.7% increase in homelessness in LA County alone. Community members who are experiencing homelessness do not have easy access to bathrooms let alone showers.
Like many organizations, Project Ropa has seen a massive decline in monetary donations as a result of the global pandemic. While the monetary donations have declined by 75%, there has been a 300% increase in clothing donations.
Overhead has not declined but rather increased for the organization during this time. Project Ropa’s storage units are at full capacity, so the organization had to acquire a third unit for the influx of supplies.
Project Ropa has more than doubled weekly donations. Prior to the pandemic, the organization directly provided hygiene kits and clothing to 200 people directly on a weekly basis. Today after teaming up with local nonprofits they are serving over 5,000 people a month. Caitlin Adler Founder and Executive Director says, “We expect that number to continue to grow. We have figured out a way to increase capacity with less money.”
As a result of Covid-19, the demand and quantity for hygiene kits has substantially increased. With social distancing mandates in place getting essential personal protective equipment together has had its fair share of challenges. Due to hygiene regulations and sanitation recommendations, clothing is quarantined for 7-days prior to distribution. With major pivots implemented (i.e. quarantine of shoes and clothes, halted entry into mobile hygiene vans, and meeting sanitation standards etc.). Volunteers are no longer able to assist in the vans and volunteer opportunities have been cut in half.
With the elevated health risks associated with the virus, Project Ropas partnership with Saint Francis Center has been a saving grace for thousands of people.
During this time there are no holiday events planned.
Volunteers are encouraged to engage in Project Ropa’s virtual volunteer opportunities. Where individuals go out into the community to collect a list of items. Merchandise can be dropped off at the facility and or pick-up can be coordinated at a nearby location.
From Project Ropa:
It is in times like these that your donations are needed the most. Find out more at Project Ropa. Monetary donations can be made on Donor Box here and to our Venmo account @ProjectRopa.
Mission
Project Ropa helps restore dignity, rekindle optimism, and empower lives by providing clean clothing, hygiene kits and job opportunities to people experiencing homelessness.
Our Mailing Address
4712 Admiralty Way #1226
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
Our Warehouse Address
12681 W Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Donation Drop-off Information
We accept clothing donation drop-offs at our warehouse by appointment only.
Email us: [email protected]
About Us
Project Ropa was founded in 2016 by Caitlin Adler to address the challenges that homeless people face in obtaining and keeping clean clothes. Though homelessness is accompanied by many deprivations — from food, to shelter, to safety — one of its greatest indignities comes from the absence of hygiene services.
When you’re homeless, it doesn’t take long to look that way, and the world and your options in it shrink. Access to hygiene services is a human right yet for many people experiencing homelessness there are often significant barriers to proper hygiene. Most homeless people literally have only the clothes on their backs. Access to clean clothing is essential to the overall well-being of a person and can be the key to opening doors to employment and housing.
We believe everyone deserves to be treated with respect. How you look affects how you feel about yourself and how others treat you. Now, because of the health threats posed by the coronavirus, the need to overcome those challenges has become ever greater. People who are experiencing homelessness often wind up wearing dirty and wet clothes for long stretches of time, making them vulnerable to the spread of transmissible diseases, including Covid-19.
No one should have to wear dirty clothes or clothes that are ill-fitting. It is more important than ever that our homeless neighbors have access to new and gently used donated clothing in a safe, humane and dignified setting.
That’s where we come in.
Project Ropa provides a curated selection of new and gently used high-quality men’s and women’s clothing, shoes and accessories, along with personal hygiene products — all donated by local manufacturers, retailers and nonprofit partners — which we bring to locations throughout the city each week in a retrofitted van that acts as a mobile walk-in closet. At the same time, the people we serve can take a shower offered by another service provider with whom we work in tandem.
The need to provide clean clothes to our homeless neighbors has never been more urgent. Read this article to learn more about what makes our service different. For additional information about why it is so important to provide people experiencing homelessness with access to clean clothes in a safe, humane and respectful way read this article.
We believe in second chances for people who want to turn their lives around. Our vision is to help break the cycle of homelessness by restoring dignity and creating living-wage job opportunities for people with barriers to employment.
by Julia Rajkovic | Dec 1, 2020 | Feature, General, News
Los Angeles, CA. Anthony Anderson, star of the hit tv show Black-ish and ambassador for Mercedes-Benz teams up with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to deliver 40,000 meals to families in the L.A. area. Mercedes-Benz started a Curbside Caring initiative at the start of the pandemic to offer money, food, and medical supplies to those in need. As an ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, Anderson helps contribute to its mission through acts of charity. Growing up in Compton, Anderson witnessed many people struggle with hunger in his community. Today, Anderson does everything he can to try and fight hunger in Los Angeles.
The pandemic has worsened food insecurity across the nation, forcing people to skip meals including Thanksgiving dinner. With donations from the L.A. Food Bank and the help of Anderson and Mercedes-Benz, 40,000 people in the L.A. area enjoyed Thanksgiving meals this year. Families were shocked to be handed full turkeys, a gesture that clearly made their day.
A woman overwhelmed with joy after receiving a turkey for Thanksgiving
From Los Angeles Regional Food Bank:
MISSION STATEMENT:
To mobilize resources to fight hunger in our community.
by Isabel Klein | Nov 23, 2020 | Feature, General, News
Los Angeles, CA. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, Los Angeles Mission is working hard to make sure every homeless individual in LA can have a hot meal this year. On November 20th, the nonprofit distributed 1,500 food boxes to citizens in Watts as seen above.
The Los Angeles Mission provides nearly 1,500 hot meals every day at its 303 East 5th Street location.
Staffers believe it will be an extra busy holiday season this year. Statistics on homelessness are up:
- 53,195 people in Los Angeles County are experiencing homelessness
- 22% increase in people aged 62 and older who are experiencing homelessness
- Three out of four people experiencing homelessness remain unsheltered
- 6% of people experiencing homelessness are currently fleeing violence
- 9,322 people over the past year are experiencing homelessness for the first time
Los Angeles Mission provides the services listed below
From Los Angeles Mission:
Emergency Services
We provide both residential and emergency services to the community, including meals, showers, clothing, academic courses, employment workshops, job search assistance and referral services.
Contact us at (213) 629-1227 ext. 347 for information.
Residential Life Recovery Program
The recovery oriented systems of care programs provide a host of services designed to be client driven such as individual, family and conjoint counseling; Life Skill courses such as anger management, domestic violence, parenting and smoking cessation; discipleship and academic classes such as GED preparation, computer literacy, ESL, and tutoring; employment readiness workshops, job search assistance; group sessions; socialization; vocational training; transitional housing; psychiatric referrals and other relevant services to assist students in becoming contributing members of society.
Contact us at [email protected] for men and [email protected] for women.
Mommy and Me
Mommy and Me is a unique Anne Douglas Center program catering to the needs of struggling moms who are experiencing homelessness or living in other shelters and missions in the area. On Saturday mornings, women and their children can receive a hot breakfast while “shopping” for clothing in the Mission’s donated-clothing room. Mommy and Me offers a wonderful opportunity to help, encourage, and connect with these hurting women and children while providing them with food, clothes — and hope.
Urban Training Institute
Life Skills classes such as Anger Management, Domestic Violence, Smoking Cessation and Parenting are taught by certified instructors and are open to the public.
Please contact Ana Ceravolo at (213) 627-1227 ext. 387.
Food Baskets
Los Angeles Mission has a long history of providing emergency food baskets to those in need. However, in the last six years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of requests for emergency food. Each week, we prepare about 40-50 baskets, filled with items donated from local markets including Albertsons. Each basket includes nutritious ingredients for preparing a balanced meal.
For more information about our Emergency Food Basket Program, call the Anne Douglas Center at (213) 614-0743.
Outreach Services
Our Outreach Services provide ongoing support for those who have graduated from Mission programs. This keeps our graduates connected to a community where they feel accepted and nurtured in order to encourage and maintain the progress they have achieved. Outreach Services provide housing, referral services and assistance with addressing the various roadblocks and obstacles that often accompany re-entry into society.
For more information contact Antwone Sanford at (213) 629-1227 ext 347.
by Julia Rajkovic | Nov 23, 2020 | Coming Up, General, News
Los Angeles, CA. The American Red Cross stresses the importance and growing need for blood donations as COVID-19 cases skyrocket across the nation. By partnering with country music star Martina McBride and service company Suburban Propane, the Red Cross hopes to persuade potential donors, and particularly COVID-19 survivors to give blood. McBride reaches out to fans in a video encouraging them to donate blood to the Red Cross in order to help save lives this holiday season. Additionally, for those who donate blood, plasma, or platelet from November 15th to December 16th, Suburban Propane is offering a lucky winner a socially distanced outdoor living experience.
While all blood donations help, COVID-19 survivors are the most important donors because the antibodies in their blood are used by doctors to treat current coronavirus patients. The Red Cross tests every blood donation for COVID-19 antibodies and notifies donors of the result. Using antibodies found in the bloodstream to treat patients with coronavirus is a treatment called convalescent plasma which has been very successful. Red Cross shares a story of a 37-year-old woman who was hospitalized with COVID-19 and whose life was ultimately saved from plasma treatment. Patients respond to treatments in many different ways, and for some, convalescent plasma is the only treatment that helps them recover.
Donor gives blood to American Red Cross at the start of the pandemic (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
To ensure donor safety, the Red Cross administers temperature checks, social distancing, and face coverings for both donors and staff members at their blood drives. Donors are required to make an appointment beforehand and wear their facial covering the entirety of the appointment. They also must be at least 17 years old, weigh over 110 pounds, and be in good health. Appointments can be made on the Red Cross app, website, or over the phone at 1-800-RED CROSS.
From the American Red Cross:
