Trips to Skid Row in Los Angeles
Every quarter Helping Hearts for the Homeless goes to Skid Row in Los Angeles to help out the homeless. These trips to Los Angeles not only give us all a much greater understanding of the difficulties that surround the homeless, but also make us more appreciative of what we have. This page documents what happens during our trips to Los Angeles. We always encourage you to join us in these trips for this amazing experience, regardless of whether you've gone to all, some, or none of the meetings =] You can see when our next volunteer trip is by visiting the "Schedule" tab of the website.
11th and Final Trip to Skid Row for the 2011-2012 Academic Year---May 19th
On May 19th Helping Hearts for the Homeless held its last trip to Skid Row of the 2011-2012 academic year. On the morning of this trip we put together 100 care packages that consisted of a water bottle and peanut butter and jelly sandwich. In addition to these care packages we set up about 50 hygenic packages from the supplies collected during the Helping Hearts Spring Hygiene/Toiletries Drive! These packages consisted of several items that were collected such as tampons, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, tooth brushes, tooth pastes, deoderants, and tissues. Once we got to Skid Row each group that drove there stuck together as a group and each group went about their own directions. One group went to Pershing Square to pass out the supplies they had. After they had passed these supplies out they went to the local Rite-Aid, got some more water, and passed those out in Skid Row. This group ventured into a park where there was a lot of homeless people, including several children. While at the park the group passed out children's clothes to the families at the park. After passing out these supplies the group asked an individual who appeared to not have eaten for a while. HIs name was David and the group went with McDonalds with him where they were able to get him a large Chicken Sandwich meal. During this time the group ate out with him they got to see that David was very skeptical of the things around him---the existence of the air he breathed, existence of music, and he believed that all matter was made of electric shocks. After he had finished his meal he had suddenly left. Although the whole lunch experience was very surreal, it allowed us to see that everyone has their own reality that is shaped by their environment and experiences. David's experiences in life was probably quite different from ours, leading to a very different view of life. A different group went about passing out supplies in Angel's Knolls (where the bench from 500 days of Summer was) as well also to Pershing Square and Skid Row. While in Skid Row this group met a very humorous guy who asked our group a hilarious riddle that had stumped us! After passing supplies out in Skid Row this group asked an individual named David if he wanted to eat out with us. Him and son, whose name is Elder, ate out with this group and told us their amazing story of how they went to the United States in different years but miraculously and coincidentally found each other, even though all Elder knew was that his dad was somewhere in the city of Los Angeles. Hearing their story really put a warm feeling in our hearts and really showed us that whether a family is homeless or not, family love is the most beautiful love that you can ever find =] A third group went through the various cross streets of Los Angeles to pass out care packages/hygenic packages to any homeless individuals that may not normally be getting attention. While passing things out this group met a man named Mohammad. He encouraged us to stay in school and not go astray from the path that we were on. Later in the day the group asked him if he would like to eat out but he said that he did not want to eat out because he just had his lunch. He continued to converse with the group and talk about his life. During this time he explained that he would get rejected to every place that he applied to live in, even though he even showed us receipts and statements that he was reliable when it came to paying any debts that he had. He even had a recommendation form from a doctor saying that he should be given the chance to get housing because of his reliability, but he still would get rejected. This goes to show that even the most reliable and trustworthy homeless people are discriminated against compared to those that are not homeless, which is an unfortunate situation. He even explained that the police would always take the side of someone who is not homeless over someone that is homeless, further strengthening the notion that discrimination against the homeless is persistent and rampant. Although his speech was a bit difficult to comprehend, he expressed his appreciation that the group actually took the time to talk and converse and hear his story, rather than walk by him like most people. This just goes to show that so many homeless people really appreciate just simply being talked to and treated as humans, rather than being treated like the ghosts of society. The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings! (click photos below to enlarge///click "Pictures" tab and look at pictures for March 3rd for all the morning's pictures)
Front Row: Vivian, Leanne, Sisilia, Andi, Farhad
Middle Row: Reina, Abraham, Rick, Albie, Steve, Jairo,
Back Row: Sanket, Alex, Caleb, John, Steven, Anthony, Truman, Kassonda, Mrs. Vargas
Middle Row: Reina, Abraham, Rick, Albie, Steve, Jairo,
Back Row: Sanket, Alex, Caleb, John, Steven, Anthony, Truman, Kassonda, Mrs. Vargas
10th Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles with Pre-Pharmacy Society at UCI
On May 5th Helping Hearts for the Homeless had its first volunteer trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles for the Spring Quarter. On the morning of this day our volunteers met up at the UCI flagpole steps where we assembled 140 care packages which consisted of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a water bottle, a vitamin C pack, and a banana. After these care packages were put together we all set off to Downtown Los Angeles. During the first couple of hours each group, which consisted of 4-9 members, went out in different directions to pass out these care packages we put together, as well as clothes and shoes that were collected through donations. Once each group finished passing out their supplies they proceeded to go about asking different homeless people out to lunch. One group met an individual named David while they were passing out supplies. David, who had lost an eye during an incident with a gun many years ago, was a man who who full of advise and conversation. David told us a bit of his past and how he was the quarterback for his high school and a boxer as well. Hearing about his experiences really made us think about how many of us were involved in some athletics in high school or some extracurriculars and that anyone's life can take a downward turn at anytime. He also told us about how he recently lied to a police officer to take the fall for an incident that he did not do, just to protect a nearby lady who did commit the crime. This story, in addition to all of the other advice he gave us, really went to show that he was such a sweet guy at heart. Another group met a lady named Franky who had been homeless for a while. Franky was in thousands of dollars of debt from her pursuing a degree for her career, which was a contributing reason as to why she became homeless. Despite being homeless, Franky told us of her desire to start a non-profit organization that would help anyone that was homeless. She was planning on writing for various grants to support her non-profit organization. Although she could have written for those grants to support solely herself, she wrote it in support of her wish to ultimately help others, which is a beautiful thought considering that she herself is homeless. She also mentioned how someone recently stole her wallet, which contained her ID and birth certificate. Despite this set back, she was very humble, high spirited, friendly, and very conversational. A third group met a lady while passing out clothes and extra Pop-Tarts they had bought to distribute as well. The group conversed with her for about 15 minutes during which she talked about how the homeless are pre-judged. She asked us if we did drugs or if we had committed any crimes, to which we answered no. She then replied by saying that both of us are standing us on this sidewalk and both of us are innocent, yet anyone who is homeless is pre-judged and assumed to have committed crimes. She also talked about how the police of Los Angeles would bother her and other homeless people, even though they would be doing nothing. It was really great to hear her perspective about being judged and how stereotyping is not fair. Not too much later this group met a lady named Patricia who was very knowledgeable. She mentioned that she would constantly go to the public library to read or how she would read donated books at the local missions. She said that she had a love for education and learning and that she hopes to continue her education however she could. It was really great to hear that she continued her love for learning and that she did not let her situation keep her down. Later this group made their way to Pershing Square where they met Jose and a different individual named David. This group took these two spiritual and religious individuals out to the nearby Subway where they got to know them better. Jose told the group about his experiences and talked about how his own family had drug and alcohol problems. All while telling the story he kept advising the group to stay away form drugs and not follow the path that he did. Jose even mentioned that if he wasn't homeless then he would be an advocate to speak at schools to not do drugs and not follow the same path that he had taken in life. At the end of their session one of the group members offered David to take half of his sandwich because he wasn't able to finish it. David appreciated the offer but he said that he would rather give the sandwich to one of his friends who could use it more than he did. Shortly afterwards we even saw David hand the other half of the sandwich that the group member gave him to his friend as he said he would. The fact that David was willing to give up his sandwich to another homeless person was very touching because it really shows that even though the homeless are in need of assistance and food and it would make sense to be selfish, they still look out for and care for others. It was really great to hear how so many of the volunteers for the day's trip had never been to Skid Row and that they had a very rewarding and eye-opening experience. But even for us who have been to Skid Row on previous occasions, there is always something new that we learn about life and take from this amazing experience! The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings! (click photos below to enlarge///click "Pictures" tab and look at pictures for March 3rd for all the morning's pictures)
Front Row: Michelle, Symone, Abraham, Justyne, Sonya, Anjelica, Evelin, Ana, Farhad
Second Row: Katilyn, Emiri, Marah, Ivonne, Sunny
Third Row: Jackie, Tina, Teresa, Amy, Boris, Steve, Alex Ball, Anthony
Fourth Row: Steven, Ryan, Brandon, Sanket, Alex, John, Caleb, Dilpreet
Second Row: Katilyn, Emiri, Marah, Ivonne, Sunny
Third Row: Jackie, Tina, Teresa, Amy, Boris, Steve, Alex Ball, Anthony
Fourth Row: Steven, Ryan, Brandon, Sanket, Alex, John, Caleb, Dilpreet
9th Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles with Pre-Pharmacy Society At UCI
On March 3rd, Helping Hearts for the Homeless had its last volunteer trip in Skid Row in Los Angeles for the quarter. In the morning of this day both Helping Hearts for the Homeless, as well as some members from Pre-Pharmacy Society at UCI, assembled 200 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that were put in ziplock bags along with a banana, water, and vitamin pack. Also during the morning we matched up shoes from three large boxes of unmatched shoes. These items, as well as nine bags of washed clothes and miscellanous donated items such as backpacks, hats, and purses, were all passed out during the first couple of hours for this volunteer trip. Once all these items were passed out each group that drove together stuck together and proceeded to ask different homeless individuals out. While one of the groups was passing out items to homeless individuals in a park, they came across a young lady who was sleeping named Monique. This group left a care package by her and while doing so, she woke and thanked them. At that point the group asked if she was hungry and would like to eat out either now or anytime later in the day. We then ate out with her Subway where we paid for meal and sat down with her to converse. It was during this time that we had the chance to really converse with Monique, who was our age. While talking with her we asked her what she liked to do in her free time and she said that she would just walk around the city and return to the park. While bringing up different talking points about movies, music, hobbies, cities traveled, and things of that nature, it really broke our heart to hear that she didn't really listen to any music, watch any videos, travel anywhere, or do much else other than to walk around the city and return later in the day. Thinking about all that we do on a daily basis, what we like to buy, and where we've traveled thus far at our age is very different from someone less fortunate who is the same age as us. As a second group was passing out items they came across a kind elderly man named Luis. Luis spoke to this group for thirty minutes about his life, relationships, and his views on love. He advised that we never take love for granted. Near the end of the conversation with Luis he said something very profound to the group when he said that we had pure hearts and elaborated by saying "we gave to others without expecting anything in return." Those words really touched us and helped us put everything into perspective. This same group came across a man resting on the ground named Earnest. After giving him a care package they asked him if he needed anything else and he replied, "give me a gun so I can blow my brains out." This came as a huge surprise to the group and after a brief period of shock the group reassured him that he was alive, still fighting, and that things could improve. Earnest really showed us how difficult life really can be being homeless. A third group met an individual named Rusty, who was very persistent that he did not need a meal from us even though he mentioned he was hungry. After letting him know that it was completely fine and that we would love to treat him out, he finally agreed. During our conversation with Rusty he mentioned that the cops around Skid Row often abused the homeless people, which came as a suprise considering that you would think cops are the people to protect and serve the people. Interesting enough, as we were eating out with Rusty we noticed some police harassing some homeless individuals on the very corner that we had met Rusty. It was nice to learn more about the reality that many homeless people face, and to pull Rusty out of a situation that very well could have been him.A fourth group actually encountered several cool experiences while passing things out. One of the homeless people that we were passing out to actually helped us pass out shoes to other homeless people. it was really cool to see this because it shows that so many homeless people are not selfish and are willing to help out others. It was also cool for that group to get a high five from a friendly lady once they were able to find a pair of shoes to give to her that were in her size. The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings! (click photos below to enlarge///click "Pictures" tab and look at pictures for March 3rd for all the morning's pictures)
Front Row: Anthony, Madhav, Hannah, PPS, PPS
Second Row: Jackie, PPS, Farhad, Kassonda, Ivonne, Evelin, Evelin's sister, Angela, Reina,
Third Row: Vivian, Leanne, Khalida, Truman, Sunny, PPS, PPS, PPS
Last Row: Alex, Abraham, Steven, Lindsay, Sunny, PPS, Elaine, Dilpreet, John
Second Row: Jackie, PPS, Farhad, Kassonda, Ivonne, Evelin, Evelin's sister, Angela, Reina,
Third Row: Vivian, Leanne, Khalida, Truman, Sunny, PPS, PPS, PPS
Last Row: Alex, Abraham, Steven, Lindsay, Sunny, PPS, Elaine, Dilpreet, John
8th Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles
On January 28th, Helping Hearts for the Homeless made another trip down to Skid Row in Los Angeles. During this trip, we made 200 care packages that contained a banana, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, water, and an energy packet. We passed out these 200 care packages within the first hour, which really gives you a perspective as to how many people are homeless in Skid Row. After passing out these care packages we then proceeded to eat out with homeless individuals within our groups. One of our groups ran into a homeless man named Charles that they have previously met before. It was honestly such a surprise to see a familiar face!! We took him out to McDonalds and just talked about how life has been going. Later in the day this group ate out with another individual who they had met earlier in the day. He was extremely upbeat and optimistic. During our talk, he encouraged the group members to never give up in the things we love to do, which was very inspiring and encouraging =] Another group ate out with a 72 year old man named Joel Ramirez. Although Joel's wife died a month earlier and he had gotten beaten up and was robbed of over 400 dollars one week earlier, he never failed to uphold his friendly and contagious smile! A third group ate out with a very religious and spiritual lady. While eating out with her and hearing her story, the group found out that she had been homeless for 25 years. On the way to the burger place where this group ate out with this kind lady, the group met another homeless lady who had been homeless for 50 years. This lady used any money she would get to feed the cats of the area before thinking about herself, which goes to show that so many of the homeless are not self-centered and worry only about themselves. Interesting enough, this lady was also in the movie The Soloist. A fourth group met two homeless individuals that were actually father and son: DJ was the father and Samuel was his son. Although they weren't biological father and son, they referred to each other as such because DJ did all he could to watch over and take care of Samuel, which is really touching to see another homeless person watch over and care for someone else. When this group asked DJ and Samuel out to lunch, DJ actually cried and said that he was so overcome with emotion that people were kind enough to do this for him. DJ said that they would be able to eat after the talent show that Samuel and other homeless individuals were in was over. The group returned a few hours later to the location of the park when the talent show took place to take DJ and Samuel out again. Once they met up with them they cried again as they couldn't believe that this group would actually return considering that they always hear people make false promises, yet this amazing group of volunteers kept their promise =] We never have a trip to Skid Row without feeling a renewed sense of passion to live life to the fullest. There is not one moment that we did not learn something new and inspirational about our with these amazing homeless individuals. These trips to Skid Row constantly remind us that the homeless are more than a statistic, they are individuals who are truly are teachers of life. The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings! (click photos below to enlarge///click "Pictures" tab and look at pictures for January 28th for all the morning's pictures)
Front Row: Reina, Mahza, Ivonne, Vivian, Leann, Abraham, Victor, Natalie, Sunny
Second row: Evelin, Farhad, Alex, Sanket, Steve, John, Anthony, Stephen
Second row: Evelin, Farhad, Alex, Sanket, Steve, John, Anthony, Stephen
1st Trip to Santa Ana
On December 17th (during Winter Break), a few members from Helping Hearts for the Homeless were able to join us as we went down to the Santa Ana Civic Center to help pass out several boxes of toys that we collected during the Fall Quarter to the families of the area, as well as care packages that included a water, granola, banana, and vitamin pack. Although several of us thought we would have a surplus of supplies after the trip, we were suprised to find out that these items were passed out rather quickly from the moment that we got there. After these supplies were handed out, we had the chance to connect with one family from the Santa Ana Civic Center as we took them out to Burger King. It was during this time that we really had the chance to get close with and have fun with some of the most adorable and energetic kids! Although playing different games with them was a lot of fun for them, it was just as fun for us too! Even after eating out we just hung out with the kids for another 45 minutes at the Civic Center while we raced against them, let them tickle and beat us up, played games with them, and just had fun while being silly and loud =] I think the pictures below really reveal what kind of day we spent with this family. This trip to Santa Ana was unlike any of our trips to Los Angeles because we had the chance to connect with not only a younger group of people, but also a very loving family. But more importantly, this trip was really special for us because it feels good knowing that just being there for someone can really brighten up someone else's day (as well as your own)! I personally plan on going back to the area any Saturday that I am able to and if you are interested in coming along as well then feel free to email us at [email protected] =] (click photos below to enlarge)
7th Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles
On November 19th, Helping Hearts for the Homeless had its final event of the Fall quarter in the Skid Row of Los Angeles. For this event Helping Hearts for the Homeless was joined by the Pre-Pharm Society at UCI and Rotaract at UCI, which are two organizations on campus that are also committed to community service. In the morning of this event these three groups worked together to make 200 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, organize approximately 12 bags of clothes, and finalize 200 care packages that included a water, granola bar, vitamin-C pack, banana, and a personalized letter that our members wrote to encourage the homeless about their situation and to let them know that there are people who truly do care about them. During the first half of this event we passed out these supplies in the various areas of Skid Row. After we passed these supplies out we had the chance to eat out with various homeless individuals within our groups. During this time we had the chance to eat with the positive and upbeat Leroy who was appreciative to see us since his birthday was the next day, the family-oriented David and Antony who are related because David is Antony's father, a conversational and friendly man named Toby who made us laugh every second because of his friendly and welcoming humor, an appreciative young teen named Eric who was only 17 years of age or so, a caring man named Bill who, with Toby, were trying to convince Eric to go to school and move in a positive direction in his life, a man named Mark Diggs who offered countless life-applicable advice, an educated and articulate man named Fred who had very well-informed views of politics and the economy, as well as several other amazing individuals =] Spending time with these individuals is truly a great experience because we not only get to hear someone else's story and show them that there are people who care for them, but also because we learn so much more about ourselves and the world around us. The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings!(click photos below to enlarge///click "Pictures" tab and look at pictures for November 19th for all the morning's pictures)
Front Row: Sunny, Farhad, Katherine, Abraham, Eric, Mary, Judy, Brenda, Joyce
Second Row: Sanket,Travis, Khalidah, Virginia, Katrina, Sanae, Sunny, Victor, Sarah, Gloria, Pedro
Third Row: Alex, Karrissa, Jackie, Eric, Steven, Scotty, Natalie, Karen, Kristina, Kenny, Melissa
Fourth Row: PPS, Kimberly, Michelle, Bushra, Ryan, John, Corey, Steve, Stephen, Juliana, Reina, Edgar, Justin
Second Row: Sanket,Travis, Khalidah, Virginia, Katrina, Sanae, Sunny, Victor, Sarah, Gloria, Pedro
Third Row: Alex, Karrissa, Jackie, Eric, Steven, Scotty, Natalie, Karen, Kristina, Kenny, Melissa
Fourth Row: PPS, Kimberly, Michelle, Bushra, Ryan, John, Corey, Steve, Stephen, Juliana, Reina, Edgar, Justin
6th Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles
On October 29th, Helping Hearts for the Homeless made its way over to Skid Row in Los Angeles once again. During this trip we passed out 210 water bottles that all had a vitamin-C pack attached to them, as well as various shirts, sweaters, pants, and shorts for men, women, and children that we collected from our clothing drive. This trip was really significant because for most of the volunteers that attended this trip it was their first time visiting Skid Row and actually seeing how impacted this area is, rather than just hearing about it. During the course of the day the different groups that we broke into had a chance to befriend various homeless individuals while passing out supplies to them or during when we took homeless individuals out to lunch. We had the fortune of meeting people such as the friendly and never-ending conversationalist Glenn Fouchet, the positive-minded Jimmy (despite the fact that he has cancer, diabetes, C.O.P.D., lymphoma, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure) and his best friend Freddy, the amiable William Rogers Junior, and several other individuals that are far from the stereotyped perceptions of homeless individuals =] The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings! (click photos below to enlarge)
Front Row: Khalidah, Arianna, Jyoti, Miranda, Farhad, Angela, Victor, Hannah
Middle Row: Steven, Alex,Steve, Laura, Vivian, Tammy, Alex, Sonya, Oscar
Back Row: Sanket, John, Dilpreet, Madhav, Jessica, Sunny, Reina, Abraham
(not Pictured: Kat, Gaby, Ghazal)
Middle Row: Steven, Alex,Steve, Laura, Vivian, Tammy, Alex, Sonya, Oscar
Back Row: Sanket, John, Dilpreet, Madhav, Jessica, Sunny, Reina, Abraham
(not Pictured: Kat, Gaby, Ghazal)
5th Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles
On May 21st, Helping Hearts for the Homeless revisited Skid Row for the last time for the 2010-2011 academic year =[ During this trip we passed out various shirts, dresses, pants, shorts, sweaters, and jackets to the men, women, and children in Los Angeles. After passing out these items for several hours, we proceeded to eat out with several individuals and pay for their meals. It was during this time that we got to converse with these friendly individuals and learn more about how truly special these people are! Although their situations may be difficult, they always carry a positive attitude that is contagious! It was a touching experience for several of our members to have homeless individuals remember us from our previous trips to Skid Row, asking how we were and if everything was alright with us =] It's moments like these that remind us that each and every single person has the capacity to make a difference in the world, even if it's for a single person! The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings!(click photos below to enlarge)
Front Row: Tammy, Paul, Alex, Jessie, Farhad, Mandy, Sanket
Back Row (From Left to Right): Jessica, Steven, Dorian, Jimmy, Katherine, Janet, Ivette, Ivonne
Back Row (From Left to Right): Jessica, Steven, Dorian, Jimmy, Katherine, Janet, Ivette, Ivonne
4th Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles
On May 7th, Helping Hearts for the Homeless returned to Skid Row in Los Angeles for an experience unlike any of our previous trips. On this day we broke up into groups and each group proceeded to take individuals out to lunch. While eating out our members had the chance to interact with these amazing individuals and hear some of their life's experiences. Throughout the course of the day these nameless strangers became friends with names, such as Ricky, Stanley, Margol, Martin, and Michael Chapman. It was truly an amazing experience to be in the presence of such generous, positive-minded, appreciative, and encouraging individuals.This trip was all about showing them that there are people in the world who are willing to take the time to sit down and talk to them, as well as to show them that people do care and appreciate them no matter their situation =] The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be this sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings! (click photos below to enlarge)
Front Row (Left to Right): Omar, Corey, Sunny, Anupam, Farhad, Audrey
Middle Row (Left to Right): Mai, Zachary, Jessie, Marlyn, Ivonne
Backrow (Left to Right): Sanket, Peter, Nina, Reina, Jessica, Nicole, Steven, Paul, Max, Liviu
Middle Row (Left to Right): Mai, Zachary, Jessie, Marlyn, Ivonne
Backrow (Left to Right): Sanket, Peter, Nina, Reina, Jessica, Nicole, Steven, Paul, Max, Liviu
3rd Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles
On February 26th, Helping Hearts for the Homeless revisited Skid Row in Los Angeles to pass out a little over 250 care packages to the homeless. The care packages that were passed out consisted of baggies that all had water and two items, which could have been toothpaste/toothbrush, razors/shaving cream, granola bar/soap, hand sanitizer/shampoo, and deoderant/tissues. After these packages were passed out, Helping Hearts proceeded to pass out individual waters from twenty-two 24 packs of water. Many of the members had the chance to meet an amazing individual who was living proof that even the most normal people can become homeless through a single, unfortunate event. We wish him the best and we will certainly keep in email touch with him =] The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings! (click photos below to enlarge)
Front Row (Left to Right): Joy, Jessie, Cynthia, Paul, Dorian, Yen, Sophie
Middle Row (Left to Right): Gabriel, Denise, Tony, Katherine, Johanna, Reina
Upper Middle Row (Left to Right): Mandy, Koorush, Kerry, Yao, Ling, Sunny
Back Row (Left to Right): Farhad, Brian, Corey, Jeremy, Alex, Sunny, Zach
(not pictured: Bianca)
Middle Row (Left to Right): Gabriel, Denise, Tony, Katherine, Johanna, Reina
Upper Middle Row (Left to Right): Mandy, Koorush, Kerry, Yao, Ling, Sunny
Back Row (Left to Right): Farhad, Brian, Corey, Jeremy, Alex, Sunny, Zach
(not pictured: Bianca)
2nd Trip to Skid Row in Los Angeles
On February 12th, 30 members of the Helping Hearts family went to Downtown Los Angeles to pass out various supplies which included 400 pounds of donated clothes, individual water bottles from twenty 24-packs, pounds of bananas, loaves of bread, and blankets that were hand-made from our members. Some groups within this bunch took the time to eat out with some of the homeless in Los Angeles, which was a very meaningful experience for both sides. Making a difference in the lives of others, as well as showing them that there are people in the world that are out there to help them, is what this trip was all about =] The next time we will be visiting Skid Row will be sometime in the Fall Quarter of 2012 (make sure to check the calendar when Fall quarter rolls around). We would love for you to join us on this trip, regardless of whether you've made it to all, some, or none of the meetings! (click photos below to enlarge)
Backrow
(Left to Right): Francesca, Joy, Tony, Mandy, Denise, Stephanie,
Ling, Scotty, Corey, Omar, Jeremy, Brian, Craig, Michelle, Alex, Alex,
Sabir Middle (Left to Right): Lauren, Marcee, Sanket, Sunny, Johanna, Farhad, Wanzhi
Front (Left to Right): Ivan, Katherine, Sharon, Keyanna, Kyle, Jessie
Front (Left to Right): Ivan, Katherine, Sharon, Keyanna, Kyle, Jessie