Press Release posted 11/30/14 – Foothill Unity Center Auxiliary invites you to join us for our 15th Annual Holiday Season Party to benefit Foothill Unity Center, Saturday December 6, 2014, 5 to 9 p.m. at THE LODGE in Sierra Madre, 33 East Sierra Madre Boulevard featuring: live music ★ dancing ★ festive food ★ silent auction ★ raffles
HELP BRIGHTEN THE SEASON FOR LOCAL FAMILIES IN NEED – Last year, while having a great time, we raised over $11,000 and a truckload of toys! This year, with your support, we can help give local families an even brighter holiday and hope for the New Year.
PLEASE BRING: A cash or check donation and/or an unwrapped gift for a child of any age
Wine and Beer will be available – donations greatly appreciated!
If you cannot attend but would like to contribute, please mail your donation to Foothill Unity Center Auxiliary c/o Colleen McEvoy, P.O.Box 1433, Sierra Madre, CA 91025. We are also seeking sponsors to fund this event. If you can help or have any questions, please contact Colleen McEvoy at 626.355.7801.
When you donate to Foothill Unity Center Auxiliary, you can be sure your gift will make a difference in a very direct and meaningful way. An average 93% of your contribution goes directly to help local families in need. For your records, our Tax ID # is 95-4787248.
About Foothill Unity Center
Now in its 34th year of serving people in crisis with love and dignity, Foothill Unity Center is the main provider of food, case management, crisis help and access to health care resources across eleven San Gabriel Valley cities. 77% of its clients are at or below the National Poverty Level. Last year, the center distributed over 4.23 million pounds of food to over 4,600 non-duplicated local families (over 1,200 individuals). The number of people the Center serves has more than tripled over the last five years. We are now preparing to provide holiday meals, toys and more for over 1,800 families and 3,000 children.
Foothill Unity Center: Overview of 2013 Services
Last year, Foothill Unity Center served 4,220 unduplicated local, low-income families, (10,472 persons) from Monrovia, Arcadia, Duarte, Sierra Madre, Bradbury, Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena, Irwindale, Baldwin Park and Azusa at no cost to the family. 79% of our clients were at or below the National Poverty Level. The rest were less than 150% above that level.
Basic Needs
- Provided 61,806 client services including 35,190 food services
- Delivered monthly food to 72 homebound/disabled families/seniors
- Registered 1,452 children to be Back-to-School ready with school supplies, clothing, haircuts and more
- Prepared bountiful Thanksgiving Dinner food boxes for 1,116 families
- Prepared 1,307 Holiday family food boxes and new toys, clothing, and much more for 1,717 children
- Gave 4,749 bag lunches/meals to homeless men, women and children
- Issued 5,813 Bus Tokens/Taxi Vouchers/Foothill Transits to remedy transportation barriers
- Provided 100 emergency shelter motel vouchers for families in-crisis
- Provided 2,873 individuals with clothing and/or household items, registered 66 families for CalFresh/food stamps
- Connected 764 people to additional services in their areas through Information and Referral calls
- Provided transitional and supportive services for victims of domestic violence and family support programs
- Helped families secure permanent housing through move-in and eviction prevention assistance
Health Services
- Gave 203 Dental Screenings and 212 Vision Screenings to children at our Back-to-School event
- Mobile Dental Clinic with comprehensive dental treatment for 96 children; 2,294 procedures
- Children’s Health Connections (CHC) program staffed by 27 professional healthcare volunteers provided free health care to 150 uninsured and underinsured children
- Eye exams and glasses provided for 29 adults and 55 children
- Gave 281 medical exams to homeless and uninsured clients via our Medical Outreach Program
- Enrolled 18 children/12 families for Healthy Families /Medi-Cal Coverage
- Gave 179 flu vaccines and 73 Diabetes and Blood Pressure Screenings
- Referred 142 client families to Smoking Cessation programs
Staffing
Our staff consists of only 25 full and part-time employees and 2 AmeriCorps’ Duarte’s Promise staff. Dedicated volunteers, trainees and interns perform much of the work required to run the Center’s services. 3,066 volunteers ranging in age from 3 to 96 from local and neighboring schools, faith-based organizations, businesses, service and government groups contributed 45,407 hours of their time, energy, respect, and love in 2013. We also mentored 37 youth, adults and seniors from work experience programs.
Additional Activities
- Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) prepared 76 individual tax returns with $117,053 in refunds
- Maintained volunteer run Pet Food Bank to help clients keep pets – feeding 703 dogs, 315 cats, 1 bird
- Became a training site for 6 Public Health interns, while continuing training 5 social work interns, 1 human behavior intern and 1 nursing student
- Food Donation Vendors increased to over 100 weekly pickups