And, away they go … back to school in style with a little help from Foothill Unity Center
By Terry Miller
It’s a rite of passage each year, the preparation for the new school year and in many cases it is financially draining for parents in every city in the United States. Fortunately there are some rather extraordinary organizations in our area which devote their entire existence to helping those less fortunate.
At the very top of that list of caring individuals is Foothill Unity Center which operates two facilities in Monrovia and in Pasadena.
Foothill Unity Center serves the entire San Gabriel Valley year round for those who have a need. But at this time of year, efforts at Foothill Unity are completely focused on school children and getting them ready for the new school year with backpacks, haircuts, books, pens and paper and a dazzling array of supplies to help them be the best they can be in the coming school year.
This year Santa Anita Park hosted the 20th annual event and amazingly Foothill Unity continues that tradition of giving more each year, albeit with a little help from community friends and partners who make this day possible each year.
Founded in 1980, Foothill Unity Center is the primary provider of food, case management/crisis help, and access to health care resources across eleven San Gabriel Valley cities in Los Angeles County, California. As the federally designated Community Action Agency for the Foothill Area, they operate two locations in Monrovia and Pasadena, serving clients in Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Monrovia, Bradbury, Duarte, Azusa, Baldwin Park and, Irwindale. 79% of their clients are at or below the National Poverty Level. The number of people served by the organization has more than tripled over the last five years, making community funding contributions and volunteer support more critical than ever.
