On Friday, Dec. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., more than 400 youth and adult volunteers will work together to pack nearly 1,000 holiday food boxes and organize the gift bags in preparation for the distribution day which is, staffed by more than 150 volunteers. On Saturday, Dec. 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., over 1,300 low-income families, including over 1,700 children, all pre-registered clients of Foothill Unity Center, will receive holiday food boxes, toys, clothing and gifts. The event is located at Ayres Hall, Los Angeles County Arboretum, 301 North Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia. This is a community-driven effort supported by local partners and sponsorships from individuals, businesses, faith-based organizations and civic clubs. Gifts have been collected through drives and an Angel gift program across the community. Client families without children will receive food boxes at the Center’s Monrovia and Pasadena locations on Monday, Dec. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Each family will take home a holiday food box with a meat and the makings for a traditional dinner. Boxes are packed to family size. Families with children will also take home bags of unwrapped gifts specifically requested by their kids through the Center’s Adopt an Angel program. The bags are opaque, so families can wrap and give them as part of their own holiday traditions.
Foothill Unity Center serves families who struggle for basic food and shelter. For them, a special festive meal and kids’ gifts are out of reach. This annual event allows the community to partner with the Center and brighten the holiday for hundreds of neighbors in need.
