On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Mission served thousands of Thanksgiving meals on Skid Row.
Ken Craft is the CEO of Hope Mission, which partnered with the Los Angeles Mission for the event. He told KNX News’ Craig Fiegener it’s about bringing the community together to give back and serve.
“Most of us who are housed go home every day, and then when the holidays come around, we meet with family, and it's usually times of joy and celebration,” he said. “But unfortunately, people who are living on the streets, it's a reminder to them of everything that they've lost, and it's often really a season of heartbreak and pain. But when we can bring people together, they're going to hear music, they're going to be entertained, they're going to eat a fantastic Thanksgiving meal. It just makes the pain a little bit easier.”
Among those serving meals was L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.
“It's extremely important,” she said. “I mean, in the nation's second-largest city, we have thousands of people here on Skid Row who are unhoused, and it's an honor for me to be able to provide them with some nourishment to get through today. But we need to deal with the people who are living on our streets in the nation's second-largest city. No one should be sleeping on the streets.”
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Joe White, who experienced homelessness in Long Beach for seven years, was also helping to serve meals. He said the Mission’s rehab program gave him his life back.
“Before this, I was a broken man dealing with a lot of stuff, legal issues, mental health concerns, drug addiction, you name it,” he said. “But slowly but surely, by applying myself in this program. I was able to get my faculties back and was able to really get myself out of the hole that I myself dug myself in. Nobody to blame but me. Through this place, I was empowered to believe, have hope.”
The Los Angeles Mission said it was expecting to serve 3,000 people.
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