By Daily Press staff
St. Joseph Center will be giving thanks this year by providing several Thanksgiving events for its homeless and low-income clients, and also by providing others in the community with the opportunity to be of service.
Many local churches, restaurants, and other organizations come to the center during the holiday season to serve meals and to donate food and clothing.
St. Matthew’s Church preschoolers will visit the Early Learning Center’s children on Nov. 22 for lunch, and on Nov. 23, they will bring turkey baskets to the center’s children.
On Nov. 23, the L.A. Clippers will serve turkey dinners with all the trimmings to homeless men, women, and children at the Bread & Roses Café in the morning, and distribute turkeys to clients at the family center in the afternoon. The National Charity League’s Ticktockers will provide a potluck dinner at the Infant Toddler Development Center from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Every year, St. Joseph Center turns the holiday season into a series of “giving opportunities.” One can take part by donating a turkey; serving meals; providing clothing, gifts, decorations and party supplies; or simply by making monetary contributions.
The St. Joseph Center’s three-part Adopt-a-Family project matches donors with homeless and low-income families and individuals. Holiday gifts are needed for men, women, and children, such as backpacks or sweatshirts, or family gifts such as a set of new towels or a toaster with a value between $20 and $30.
Age-appropriate gifts are needed for children — value between $10 and $15, or grocery store gift certificates for a holiday meal — approximately $10 per person. Eligible families and individuals will be ready to adopt by Nov. 29. Gifts are needed by Dec. 17.
The center is holding its first online auction, “Share the Season,” Nov. 16 to Dec. 17 at www.stjosephctr.org, featuring many interesting items, including TV studio passes, sport fishing fares, golf lessons, and a four-day Trip to Zimbabwe for two.
“Many of our volunteers are students,” said Maria Alderete, coordinator of volunteer services. “They’re giving the gift of themselves.”
The center promotes the spirit of giving during the holiday season by building a bridge between the caring and the less fortunate.
St. Joseph Center assists more than 7,000 working poor and homeless men, women, and children each year to achieve self-sufficiency through emergency services, food distributions, child care, case management, mentoring, job training and senior services.
For more information, call (310) 396-6468, ext. 325, or visit www.stjosephctr.org.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 12, 2004. Read the original PDF.