Over 1,000 families will receive festive food boxes at November 24-25 distributions
Foothill Unity Center is gearing up for its annual Thanksgiving food distribution in partnership with its eleven-city community. The distribution for families will be held on Monday, November 24, at Ayers Hall at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia. A second distribution for individuals will be held Tuesday, November 25, at the Center’s Monrovia and Pasadena locations.
The Center is seeking donations of food, turkeys, funds, food drives and volunteer time for the Thanksgiving event and its upcoming Holiday Distribution in December. Funds may be donated securely online at foothillunitycenter.org. Food and checks may be dropped off weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at either Center location: 415 W. Chestnut Ave. in Monrovia or 191 N. Oak Ave. in Pasadena.
Thanksgiving is an especially difficult holiday for families who are struggling to survive, says Center Executive Director Betty McWilliams. “Last year, we sent more than 1,116 pre-registered families home with bountiful food boxes sized for their families, containing all the elements for a festive Thanksgiving dinner,” she says. The experience of sharing this meal in their own homes is something they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to enjoy.”
Information on Thanksgiving volunteer shifts is available at foothillunitycenter.org/thanksgiving-and-holiday-distribution-programs or by calling the Center at (626) 358-3486. Photos of last year’s events can be viewed in the online Photo Gallery.
The Thanksgiving Distribution is just one aspect of the Center’s year-round Family Food Program, which provided 35,190 food services last year. Each month, clients receive a grocery cart of food items, sized by number of people in the family to supplement needs for 7-10 days. They may return to pick up perishable food items once a week, including fresh produce, dairy and baked goods. The Center also delivers monthly food packages to qualified homebound senior and disabled clients, and gave 4,749 substantial bag lunches (enough for about two days) to homeless or those who have no place to store or cook food. Its volunteer-run Pet Food Bank helped families keep over 1,000 pets last year.
The Center also provides referrals to over 100 organizations for crisis and housing assistance, employment counseling, and much more. Its Health Services Child Health Connection program connects children with urgent health care needs to free and low-cost care, helps uninsured clients enroll for low-cost insurance coverage, and conducts health screenings and education seminars. It also operates a Medical Outreach Clinic in partnership with the Community Health Alliance of Pasadena (ChapCare) providing health and dental care to homeless and uninsured adult clients.
