2020 brought the worldwide pandemic which stole my Awards Night, Prom, Graduation, and every other celebration that a Senior should be able to celebrate. On the bright side, attending school via Zoom not only freed up time and opened doors to increase my volunteer experience but also set me up for the ins and outs of online learning needed for the next three years.
Below are some highlights of 2020
Back to School Backpacks The Agoura Teen Coalition collected school supplies, whereas we passed out the backpacks filled with the items at our pantry to the underprivileged children and teens. I met the Mayor of Agoura Hills (Illece Buckley-Weber) who came out for this event.
3/18/2020 Corona Wednesday—the day of the unusual sight of empty Freeways! For us, it was the beginning of our pantry really taking off. So many families were in need and we were able to help!
Our weekly pantry during 2020. We passed out fresh produce, baked goods, drinks, dairy, eggs, packaged meals, and salads. We also had mattresses, clothing, toys, bedding, plants, flowers, etc.
Distribution of 4000 Bombas socks to the Unhoused in Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, North Hills, Pacoima, and Skid Row.
Dinner and Socks We invited the unhoused to The Habit where they could order anything off the menu including the side dishes and shakes. I also passed out new Bombas Socks
Flowers were sent to several nursing and assisted living homes throughout the entire pandemic to help brighten the day of residents who were lonely and isolated as the COVID-19 protocol did not allow for personal contact with families and friends.
I assembled hundreds of “goodie bags” during the holiday season. They were delivered to Atria (Thousand Oaks), The Jewish Home for the Aging, Camarillo home of the Aging, the Country Villa Westwood Nursing Center (Westwood) and Skid Row. View a short video below.
$1500 worth of shoes and clothing from the Men’s Warehouse were distributed to underprivileged students. This will help them look presentable during potential job interviews. I received many thank you letters.
Gift cards and cap & gown packages for the underprivileged graduating students.
We applied for and received a Grant from Foodshare to buy the necessary keep-cool equipment to keep our food at the required temperatures.
Our weekly sack lunch production continues to help distribute healthy lunches
Hundreds of Turkey Vouchers were given out to our pantry participants. The packages contained everything to make an entire Thanksgiving meal. It was paid for by the Pinnacle Real Estate Group and the drive-through distribution was organized through Foodshare. I assembled many gift bags that contained gift cards and sweets to be passed out to the less fortunate.
My neighbor is an ER doctor at the Santa Monica Hospital. They have a closet for the Unhoused. I supplied them with numerous small gift bags.
This new Christmas Village Display was donated to the Assisted Living Home that I visited often when I was in Elementary School. They invite children to sing at their Christmas Parties.
Established the collection of goods and clothing distribution at our pantry
