Foothill Unity Center announces 2011 Neighbors Helping Neighbors honorees

Volunteers Henry and Lou Thedinga, Southern California Edison and The Monrovian Family Restaurant will be honored at 13th Annual Golden Plate Awards September 22

August 10, 2011 – Dedicated volunteers Henry and Lou Thedinga, longtime corporate champion Southern California Edison, and business supporter The Monrovian Family Restaurant will receive Neighbors Helping Neighbors Awards at Foothill Unity Center’s 13th Annual Golden Plate Awards dinner on Thursday evening, September 22 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia. The Center presents these honors each year to local businesses, organizations and individuals who have offered extraordinary support.

Longtime Monrovia mayor Bob Bartlett and community hunger fighter Robin Salzer, owner of Robin’s WoodFire BBQ in Pasadena, will also be honored at the event with the Center’s Heart in Hand Humanitarian award, presented annually to local people who have made an outstanding impact on the quality of life in their communities and beyond.

Reservations to the event, the Center’s only major fundraiser of the year, are $75 per person. They may be ordered online at www.foothillunitycenter.org, or by mailing a check to Golden Plate Awards, Foothill Unity Center, 415 West Chestnut Avenue, Monrovia CA 91016.

Sponsorship packages begin at $1,000. Each comes with a number of special recognitions including ads in the Tribute Journal. The Center is also seeking items for the evening’s silent and live auctions. Those valued at $50 or more received by August 26 will be acknowledged in the Tribute Journal. For more information, visit www.foothillunitycenter.org or contact Gerald at the Center, (626) 358-3486.

2011 Neighbors Helping Neighbors Awards

Volunteer Award: Henry & Lou Thedinga
Henry, a very young 93-year-old and a Pearl Harbor survivor, and his wife, Lou, who turns 90 this year, have been Center volunteers for twelve years. Over that time, they’ve worked in just about all areas. Currently, Henry registers arriving clients and Lou works the Choice Pantry, where clients can select special items. The couple also pitches in at all special events, including Thanksgiving and Holiday Distributions. They’re regular donors as well. The Center is proud to be one of several organizations that benefit from their time and energy.

Corporate Award: Southern California Edison
With the help of Region Manager Elisa Clifford, who sits on the Center’s board, SCE has been a key supporter for many years in many ways. Every year, the company has sponsored the Golden Plate Awards and participated in the Back to School Fair, awarding it major grants for the past two years. SCE has also sponsored the organization’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Lunch and raised money at their annual employee event for Center programs. It’s not unusual for SCE to bring nearly 70 volunteers to help out at the food warehouse.

Business Award: The Monrovian Family Restaurant
Owner Sia Soris and her team are among the Center’s most devoted and steadfast fans. The Monrovian has donated the food and provided the location for the organization’s Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon for the past three years, and supplied food for 400+ volunteers working our Back to School Fair for the last five years. They are always ready and willing to help with whatever is needed, from soup to turkeys. The Monrovian also prominently displays the Center’s Auxiliary donation bank at their register, generating regular support funds.

About Foothill Unity Center

Foothill Unity Center, Inc., has been serving low-income families and those in crisis for over 30 years. Founded in 1980 in a church closet to provide food to a few hungry families, the Center has become the major source of food, health services and crisis assistance for over 4,000 low-income families in its service area: Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte, Azusa, Baldwin Park and Irwindale. In 1991, the organization was incorporated. In 2008, it was federally designated the Community Action Agency for the Foothill Area.

The Center acts as a lifeline for very low income individuals and families who are struggling to survive. Clients are often unemployed, employed at wages too low to provide for their families, on welfare, or facing a temporary crisis. It also serves seniors, homeless, disabled, emancipated foster youth, victims of domestic violence, and students on limited incomes. 38% of its clients are children.

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