Toy Drive for Foster Youth to be Held at Dog Haus Biergarten in Pasadena

The Alliance, Five Acres’ Young Professionals Volunteer and Advocacy Guild, will hold its inaugural holiday social and toy drive to support the foster youth living at Five Acres. The event is free and will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019 at Dog Haus Biergarten in Old Town Pasadena. – Courtesy photo / 5Acres

The Alliance, an independent group of young adult volunteers serving the foster youth living at Five Acres, will host a holiday toy drive and social on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019 at Dog Haus Biergarten in Old Town Pasadena from 5 to 8 p.m. This fun-filled evening will give people of all ages an opportunity to give back to foster children and help get the word out about the foster care crisis in Los Angeles.
Once an orphanage and now one of the oldest child and family services agencies in Southern California, Five Acres provides a temporary, therapeutic residential program in Altadena for children in the system who are currently separated from their families. Formed in 2018, The Alliance volunteer guild exists to enrich these children’s lives through life-skills focused activities and to advocate for them in the community. December’s holiday social will be the group’s first toy drive, and members hope the night will inspire others to get involved.

“The children at Five Acres represent just a portion of the thousands of kids living in foster care in Los Angeles. Many of these kids will not be able to be with their families over the holidays, so we encourage our friends in Pasadena and the surrounding areas to attend our social and bring a new, unwrapped gift or make a small $10 donation to remind these children that their neighbors care about them,” says MaryAnn White, who with Annie Hu serves as co-president of The Alliance.

To assist with the cause, Dog Haus Biergarten will be donating 20% of the evening’s food purchases back to Five Acres, giving everyone an excuse to order another round. “Dog Haus Biergarten is also kid, dog and vegan-friendly, and we’ll even have a couple of fun raffles to round out the night,” says White. “Everyone is welcome!”

The evening is free, but those interested in attending can RSVP at 5atoydrive.eventbrite.com and can find a list of the most popular gift requests at 5acres.org/holiday. If you’re interested in volunteering with The Alliance, please visit 5acres.org/alliance or contact The Alliance at fiveacresalliance@gmail.com. The group meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. at Five Acres in Altadena. The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020.