Ellen DeGeneres and David Arquette Visit Foothill Unity in Monrovia Monday

By Terry Miller
Feeding America has been selected as one of several beneficiaries of Idol Gives Back this year, a part of American Idol. On Monday morning Idol star Ellen DeGeneres and actor David Arquette visited the Foothill Unity Center in Monrovia where hundreds of families receive help every day of the year.
American Idol’s newest judge, Ellen DeGeneres, who is apparently very comfortable in Paula Abdul’s old chair said she was delighted to meet the staff at Foothill Unity and was appalled to learn that one of the recipients of the Foothill Unity’s donations was a teacher. “We have to pay our teachers more! Wow.”
DeGeneres and Arquette toured the facilities for about two hours Monday morning and got a first hand look at the inner workings of how the food bank charity works while also being filmed for Wednesday’s broadcast on National TV.

The film crews followed Ellen and David as they toured the facilities of Foothill Unity Center, got a chance to see some of the many families they help and talk with the scores of volunteers who help make Foothill Unity Center work so efficiently.
The program segment will air this Wednesday, April 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). Idol Gives Back, the Emmy Award-winning television event and music celebration, returns for its third year on FOX.

One recipient of food donations this morning was Yvette Spencer, who was totally stunned when David Arquette wheeled out her grocery cart full of donations. “My family won’t believe this…” she said as she posed for a photo with the actor.

Arquette is a film director, producer, screenwriter, fashion designer, and former professional wrestler. A member of the famous Arquette acting family, he first became known during the late 1990s after starring in several Hollywood films; including the Scream trilogy.
He is set to star in the upcoming installment in the Scream series along with the original castmembers wife Courtney Cox Arquette, and Neve Campbell. He has since had several television roles, including playing “Jason Ventress” on ABC’s In Case of Emergency. In addition to his acting career Arquette took a brief foray into professional wrestling in early 2000, appearing for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and becoming a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion; a booking decision which has been cited as being pivotal to the degradation of the title and the downfall of WCW.


This star-studded fundraiser and television event once again calls the world to action and will hopefully draw more attention to the worldwide problem of hunger. The brainchild of American Idol creator Simon Fuller, Idol Gives Back began in 2007 as a way for those behind American Idol to “give back” by raising money to serve children and their families in need throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world.
In 2008, the Idol Gives Back Foundation (IGBF) was established by the producers of American Idol and the Fox Broadcasting Company, to fulfill this goal. For more information on Idol Gives Back, go to:
www.idolgivesback.org.

Photos by Terry Miller All Rights Reserved Copyright 2010

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