By Jane Gutman, CW’73, PAR’14, PAR’16
Photos by Kiera Reilly, C’93
Wonderful Penn Serves LA volunteers joined in a fantastic effort on May 30th to provide a bit of summer relief for some of the 82,000 people in our city who are homeless on any given night. Founded in 1998, The Giving Spirit has raised over $2 million through small donations and served over 35,000 homeless. Twice a year this all-volunteer non-profit, the largest in the city, organizes the filling of backpacks and duffle bags with essential items (canned and fresh food, clean socks and hats, toiletries, etc. plus lists of available services) to help our friends on the street to survive and enjoy a bit of comfort during the hottest and coldest points in the year.
Volunteers of all ages helped to set up the assembly line, then fill the backpacks.
Volunteers at the beginning of the assembly line to fill the backpacks.
But in addition to handing out these critical supplies, The Giving Spirit is unique in its approach: the organization’s leaders know they cannot cure homelessness, but when volunteers hand bags full of help, and maybe hope, to homeless people, they also look them in the eyes, engage them when feasible and let these disenfranchised people know that someone is thinking about them. The formula is a moving one, and through a short, televised video our Penn Serves LA volunteers received a glimpse into its effectiveness.
Jane Gutman introduces The Giving Spirit’s founder and Chairman Tom Bagamane to the Penn Serves LA group.
Tom talks to the group about the founding of The Giving Spirit and the work that they do to help the homeless in Los Angeles.
Penn Serves’ Jeff Weston, C’05, helps load the filled backpacks into vans for distribution.
One truck filled with backpacks ready to be distributed.
Penn Serves volunteers at The Giving Spirit.
Penn Serves LA has many terrific projects for all ages on the calendar for the coming months, including a day of painting on June 13th at Valiente College Preparatory Charter School, a brand new school for underserved kids opening this fall. Join us this Saturday – RSVP here.
Join us, meet new Penn people, demonstrate what service means to your kids and friends, help us Quakers make a little bit of difference in our complex city!
Upcoming Penn Serves LA events:
- Saturday, June 13, 2015 – Help paint Valiente College Preparatory Charter School – RSVP
- Saturday, July 18, 2015 – Harvesting a Garden for Veterans – RSVP
- Saturday, September 12, 2015 – Reading to Kids – Details coming soon
- Sunday, December 6, 2015 – Midnight Mission: Serving Meals to the Homeless – Details coming soon
If you have an established nonprofit that you would like us to consider for future events or announcements, please let us know. We are looking for new nonprofits to serve in meaningful ways.
Questions? Reach us at pennserves@gmail.com.
Find us on the web, follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page!
Read about our previous events:
August 2014 – Penn Serves LA Strikes Again: This Time with Paint!
December, 2013 – Holidays are a Time for Giving
November, 2013 – Sending Holiday Warmth to our Troops
August and September, 2013 – Serving the Environment and LA Leadership Academy
May, 2013 – One on One Outreach
March, 2013 – Habitat for Humanity
January, 2013 – Inner City Arts
September, 2012 – The Midnight Mission
June, 2012 – Turning Point Shelter
Frankly Penn 