In The News...
Old coats keep covering
Posted December 24, 2011
Any Santa Clarita Valley resident cleaning out his or her closet should think twice about what to do with that extra coat, a Santa Clarita Swap Meet official said Saturday.
If swap meet operations manager Sandra Medrano had her way, the decision would be obvious, and anyone with an extra coat in good condition would donate it to the third annual Santa Clarita Swap Meet Coat Drive at the Saugus Speedway.
“We’re asking for coats in good condition,” she said. “We don’t necessarily want something with holes in it.” The coat drive began Jan. 1, and will last throughout the month. “Last year, we collected over 500 coats,” Medrano said. “The year before, it was between 500 and 600.” Coat donations will be accepted Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m., and every coat will be given to the Bridge to Home Homeless Shelter and the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission. Each shelter will receive an equal number of coats, Medrano said.
“There’s definitely a need for this,” swap meet employee Cheryl Riven said. “There’s a lot of homeless people and children are going without. Every little bit helps,” she said. Santa Clarita Valley residents have been supportive of previous coat drives, Medrano said. “One lady brought in three trash bags of coats last year, asking, ‘How can I give, where can I donate?’” If for no other purpose, people should donate coats just to feel good about themselves, swap meet employee Lily Flores said.
“It’s very cool for the community to share a little item from their closet even if it’s just to get that good feeling that comes from knowing that they’ve given,” she said. The drop-off point for spare coats is the swap meet managers office, located behind the speedway bleachers. The coat drive will be advertised on Facebook, Twitter, the city calendar and by word of until it ends Jan. 31, Medrano said.
Season of Giving has year-round significance for homeless advocate
Posted January 7, 2012 9:10 p.m. - PR-Canada.net
For Hannah Myers, the holiday's season's 'tis better to give than receive' adage has been a yearlong mission.
The 21 year old has been advocating on behalf of Santa Monica's homeless for several years, most recently camping out at the new NorthRidge Chick-fil-A location to earn free meals for a year which she graciously donated to the area's homeless men and women.
"During the 26 hours of waiting for the restaurant to open, the residents at The Village at NorthRidge, the senior living community where I work, stopped by to show support and deliver a tent and hand and foot warmers," she said. "It was so kind and thoughtful. I wanted to 'pay it forward' and started thinking of how much the meal vouchers could impact the life of someone who didn't know where his or her next meal was coming from." Read entire story...
San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission Serves the Needy
November 2011 - A large turnout of people as the the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission served up to 600-700 people in need who are homeless and hungry Thanksgiving Dinner at The Church On The Way. Van Nuys CA. November 22nd, 2011. photo by Gene Blevins/LA Daily News. See photo album of event. (This will take you outside of this website.)
Record numbers of poor in nation -- with more in San Fernando Valley seeking assistance
September 2011 - The ranks of the nation's poor have swelled to a record 46.2 million - nearly 1 in 6 Americans - as the prolonged pain of the recession leaves millions still struggling and out of work. And the number without health insurance has reached 49.9 million, the most in over two decades.
The figures are in a Census Bureau report, released Tuesday, that offers a somber snapshot of the economic well-being of U.S. households for 2010, when joblessness hovered above 9 percent for a second year. The rate is still 9.1 percent at the start of an election year that's sure to focus on the economy and President Barack Obama's stewardship of it.
And the impact of the recession in Los Angeles County is illustrated by the fact that the number of people on food stamps broke the 1-million mark this summer, up more than 50 percent in only three years.
Claridad Ventura, 33, now living in a North Hollywood shelter, exemplifies the newly impoverished.
Ventura lived in Miami until three years ago, when her mother lost their home to foreclosure. She left a job as a restaurant manager to move to Los Angeles, so that her children, 10-year old Dennis and 17-year-old Lionela, could be closer to their respective fathers.
Now staying at the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission and working part time as a staff assistant at Pasadena's Department of Public Works, Ventura breaks into tears while worrying about having to move out of the shelter in a few months, saying the family has nowhere to go. Read entire story here...
Valley's Hells Angels chapter gives presents to children whose parents are incarcerated
December 2010 - "I'm sure that people are nervous," Reverend Rick Fish noted as drops began to fall outside his Santa Susana Knolls chapel around noontime. "We're Californians, c'mon, most people don't take their Harleys out in the rain! But what an opportunity this is."
An hour and a dozen drenched miles later, it was indeed all smiles among the eight, wet leather clad bikers, their car-driven family members and Santa's helpers and, of course, those who care for the intended gift recipients - children with one or both parents currently serving time in prison.
"We didn't think they were going to come this year with all the rain; they're so awesome!" exclaimed Elsey Fernandez after the hogs and a pickup truck full of tarp-covered toys pulled up to drop off presents for her grandkids.
"It makes me feel so wonderful to know that there are still people who care," Fernandez said. "They're so awesome; they make the kids' year, every year, because they're getting something from their dad."
George Hoag Family Foundation Renews its Partnership
May 2010 - The George Hoag Family Foundation renewed its partnership with the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission this year, awarding a $10,000 grant in support of the Family Shelter. The foundation’s generous support and continued interest in the program will help the mission to provide food, clothing, and shelter for many homeless families in need.
Food Drive at Saugus Swap Meet will Benefit Mission Families
March 2010 - Following the success of its Coat Drive in January, Saugus Swap Meet is holding a Canned Food Drive during the month of April. According to the local food pantries, spring and summer are their hardest times. Donations received during the holidays have been handed out to families in need and their cupboards are bare. Therefore the Saugus Swap Meet is counting on the community’s generosity to ensure no one in the area will go hungry. Donations of unexpired canned foods will be accepted on Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays during Swap Meet Market hours from 7:00am – 2:00pm at both shopper entrance gates and in the office, as well as on Mondays and Fridays during regular office hours from 8:00am – 4:00pm. (The office is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.) All donations will benefit both the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry and the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission. For more information, contact Sandra Medrano, Assistant Operations Manager at (661) 713- 0727 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
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