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10,000 Skid Row Kids & Their 50,000 Toys
When it comes to Skid Row's largest Christmas toy party, some wait over ten hours in line; some wait over night. Fred Jordan Missions' 65th annual Family Christmas Celebration was last Sunday and it brought out the masses, with smiles in tow.
In a year of economic hardship, you'll hear the same story: donations are down, the people needing help are up. For Fred Jordan, they've seen a 50 percent increase in people looking for help while donations decreased to 35 percent. But that didn't stop hundreds of volunteers and organizations like Disney and the Sikh community of Southern California from from donating toys, food, clothes and blankets for the huge event.
There are lots of ways to help others this season. One way is with this local mission. Their Box of Hope food drive to provide Christmas dinners for impoverished families is still going on. A tax-deductible donation of $25 will provide a Christmas dinner to a needy family, and an additional $25 will provide new toys and warm socks for the children. Call (800) 964-FOOD or go online to www.fjm.org.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
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If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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