Press Release (October 18, 2004)



THANKSGIVING EVENTS AT CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF LOS ANGELES

Thanksgiving is the most family-oriented holiday in the American calendar. People travel from afar to spend this festive time at home, with their loved ones. Catholic Charities of Los Angeles offers special holiday celebrations for some of those who have no family, nor home for the holidays - for homeless individuals and families, including many single mothers, who receive help at the agency’s emergency shelters and food pantries.

Every year, the staff at the St. Mary’s Community Center in Los Angeles, cooks and serves a Thanksgiving dinner on Monday prior to Thanksgiving. Their guests are 500 homeless people who usually rely on services of the Center’s food pantry and the brown bag lunch program. In fiscal year 2003-2004, fifteen Catholic Charities’ food pantries including St. Mary’s Center, provided more than 558,600 bags of groceries and served more than 52,500 sack lunches to approximately 113,600 homeless and very-low-income people.

Every year, homeless families at the Elizabeth Ann Seton Residence in Long Beach and homeless mothers with children at Good Shepherd Center’s Mother-Child Residence in Los Angeles, gather with the residences’ staff and volunteers around the tables, decorated by the children and filled with special holiday dishes. The families enjoy their companionship in the peaceful atmosphere of the shelters, at times when their lives finally start to turn around from living in crisis to the stability of supportive environment and a future of employment and secure housing.

Established in 1919, Catholic Charities of Los Angeles has served millions of people, regardless of their race, ethnicity, income, gender or religious belief. During the past fiscal year (July 1, 2003 - June 30, 2004), in more than 50 offices and community centers, the agency provided over 1,286,000 services to approximately 242,000 different individuals. People in need come to Catholic Charities for emergency food and shelter, low-cost before-and-after-school childcare, immigration and refugee assistance, psychological services, computer and jobs skills training, and other supportive services. Poverty doesn't discriminate. How could Catholic Charities?

For more information about St. Mary’s Center or Good Shepherd Center’s Mother-Child Residence, or to schedule a visit, call Jackie Lazarus Warren, Director, Metro Region, at 323-662-1462. For more information about Elizabeth Ann Seton Residence call Anna Totta, Director, San Pedro Region, at 562-591-1641.