Los Angeles Mission Served Nearly 3000 Holiday Meals and Gave Gifts to 1000 Children on Christmas Eve Alone!

 

Although job losses, home foreclosures and other economic bad news have recently hit the Los Angeles Mission and its clientele hard, the Christmas Event on Dec. 24th was still a delight to behold! Nearly 3,000 homeless received a wonderfully prepared Christmas dinner, while some 1,000 children received multiple, brightly, wrapped Christmas presents from Santa as well as our wonderful volunteer and celebrity helpers.

 

“This Christmas season had us interacting far more with people related to economic dislocation from job loss and other financial issues than we normally see,” said Herbert L. Smith, President of the Los Angeles Mission. “This concerns us because we have more people coming through the doors needing help, while at the same time the downturn in our economy is also impacting our donors. In fact, donations for the final quarter were down 15%, at the time of year when we receive more than half of our annual funding. However, when the economy gets bad, unlike other businesses, we can’t just close a plant nor have a sell off. We have to be able to continue helping those in need during their darkest moments, and that’s just what we were able to do this Christmas.”

 

For most, the holiday season is a time of blessings, and with the blessings of many supporters including a generous donation by JAKKS Pacific, Inc. a Los Angeles Toy manufacturing company, the Mission was able to serve about 3,000 thousand Christmas dinners to the homeless, while helping families ensure a blessed Christmas for their kids also. The Christmas cheer at the Los Angeles Mission was in abundance as both guests and volunteers enjoyed the day.

 

Hosts Melissa Gilbert, her husband Bruce Boxleitner, and their family served food along with other celebrities and elected officials including Los Angeles’ Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas to the thousands who came for the annual event. “We served last Christmas as a family at the Los Angeles Mission,” Gilbert said. “It opened our hearts to the issues of Skid Row and the homeless in Los Angeles. We have seen the impact of the economic downturn on everyone – but this is the hardest hit part of our community, and we were happy to be asked to host this year’s event.” 

 

Preparations for Christmas to the people who call the Skid Row area home started months ago. Christmas Eve morning started early for the staff and volunteers and the Mission.    Due to the cold artic blast from the North, the meal, consisting of hot and tasty glazed ham, roast turkey, 3-cheese macaroni, mixed vegetables, cranberry relish, with dinner rolls, and butter and jelly, was served inside the dinning hall. Usually quite spacious; our guests didn’t seem to mind the crowded quarters, and it looked as if everyone was enjoying this wonderful Christmas dinner!

 

Santa made a special appearance outside as well, at a festively decorated tent set up to visit with the children, and precious memories followed as children often without much, got excited knowing that this Christmas they would be remembered. Many of the families who came to the event live in temporary housing in the Skid Row area; others live in shelters, while many are still living on the streets.

 

All were greeted by Mission staff and volunteers with love and given holiday treats. As they waited to be seated and served inside the dining hall, the guests enjoyed holiday music from a number of local musical groups in the chapel. Outside at the gift tent, JAAKS Pacific, Inc., as well as others, helped make certain that Santa would be able to fulfill all the orders requested, as each child was given multiple gifts that were age appropriate for each one, and no child was turned away!

 

“JAKKS Pacific was proud to partner with the Los Angeles Mission by donating thousands of toys that helped make this holiday season a little brighter for all the homeless families in need,” said Genna Rosenberg, Senior Vice President Communications and Investor Relations, JAKKS Pacific, Inc.