Back in winter of 2016, someone at work sent out an email to volunteer at the Brentwood…read morePresbyterian Church as part of a winter outreach, and I thought why the heck not. The request was to help with unloading shipments of goods such as blankets, beanies, scarfs, food, water, flashlight, hygiene kit, notebook, a piece of paper listing places for shelters, job recruitment, and medical attention, and even a handwritten note from elementary school students with messages of well wishes. Once organized inside the auditorium, these items would be filled inside a duffel bag which would then be distributed to the homeless. The goal is not to outright solve homelessness but to help individual people on the streets where they are most vulnerable from the cold, and at times, wet weather. I enjoyed that experience, on the one hand because I usually get a kick out of manual labor, and on the other hand from the sense of camaraderie. During breaks, Tom, who was the main one in charge, along with a few others in the community would contextualize our efforts with the struggles of people young and old they have met. The topic of housing and rent prices would undoubtedly come up, and this was almost 9 years ago. There was also an overwhelming number of volunteers then. The second time I volunteered was winter of 2020 where most of us were masked up, and there were noticeably less folks. Fast forward to winter of 2024 (not sure why it's been every 4 years...), and apparently the turnout of volunteers was the lowest it's ever been. Even some long-time sponsors have shifted their attentions away. Although there was still enthusiasm for those that were there, with less help the process was a lot slower. This year instead of just preparing the duffels, I decided to try distributing. After training, we decided to target DTLA in the afternoon and then stop operation at sunset. Here's a summary of the folks I distributed to: 1) Corner of 3rd and Hill, I met Ernin aka 'Barber Earl' who was a trained barber for many years and enjoys soccer. 2) Between 4th and 5th, I met Joe from East La and Ken from Nor Cal who were trying to look for work using the Planet Fitness wi-fi. 3) Between 7th and 8th, I met Pancho who spoke only Spanish. Luckily, the paper with the list of resources had English and Spanish. Gratis para ti. 4) Corner of Hope and Wilshire, I met Andrew aka 'Rew' who was from the east coast. 5) Corner of Hope and Grand, I met Joseph, Joseph, and Ian, who all met recently and became friends. 6) In Chinatown, I met Cory who was a massage therapist, Mia who was looking for legal assistance, Dior who was noticeably suspicious of me at least initially, Harry who came from North Carolina a month ago, and Diego who was recently divorced and move from Houston for a change of scenery. Not sure how much of a difference I made. It seemed they were happy to be acknowledged and share a little about themselves. That is the hope.

I volunteered today at The Giving Spirit's winter event…read more It was another great experience! I've been volunteering with this group for several years. It's such a good feeling to know what a difference the back packs can make in a person's life. I've never distributed the back packs before. I usually help distribute various necessities. All of the items that are distributed in the back packs are donated by individuals, companies, etc. Kudos to this group for the inspiring work that they continue to do. They mentioned at today's event, that they have been helping the homeless for 15 years & have saved 30,000 lives. That is certainly a powerful statement for a non--profit to make. I look forward to volunteering with The Giving Spirit for as long as it takes to continue to help the homeless people in our community.

If you're thinking of a charity to donate to, donate it to Dream Street! The work they do is…read moreunbelievable. I myself love volunteering and if kids are involved i'm totally there! I was introduced to the foundation from one of my dad's customers who is also the president of the foundation. I filled out an application to volunteer as a counselor at their summer camp and got accepted! i was thrilled/apprehensive, but all went well! i'm so glad i got the opportunity to do this. If you don't know what Dream Street is here's a little intro: Dream Street Foundation is a non-profit organization that fundraises all year to help fund their summer camp. The camp is for kids with terminal or chronic illnesses. It's such a great program because the kids go there to have fun and be with other kids that are in the same situation. There's a medical team that volunteers their time to help the kids with taking their meds and what not so they're always in check. The people involved are all so wonderful. If you have the time, check out their website: www.dreamstreetfoundation.com and if possible please donate! every cent counts!

Thank you Dream Street. You're making a big differenceread more

This place is amazing. The people that run it are amazing. They save lives of young people children…read moreand adults of all types going through human trafficking and are always there to help. They've helped me with so much. Miss Ventura is an angel as well as the founder and everybody else running Children Of The Night because of them I have my GED, which I am also on the picture from the very first Children Of The Night ‍‍ graduation ceremony

Dr Lee is the best with her resources She the best thing…read morethat happened to me But her staff Mayra and Victoria are soo rude and disrespectful it just makes it hard to ask for help when dealing with people that don't care 5 stars because it's not Dr Lee fault

I have volunteered with The Giving Hand for the last 3 years and they truly are an organization…read morefocused on helping the people. The staff are very warm and welcoming. I look forward to volunteering with them again!

I found Free Arts while searching for a place to volunteer at involving children and art. Free…read moreArts is a wonderful organization which provides four different art programs to choose from. My love for art and compassion for children is the reason why I am working toward becoming an Art Therapist. Since I can't practice art therapy now, Free Arts is a great stepping stone to get involved with! I am so thrilled to be apart of the Free Arts team! And, I look forward to my learning experience here. Also, the staff really helps you feel comfortable and provides various resources to better equip the volunteers as well as families being served. Check out Free Arts for Abused Children at Freearts.org :D

Omg meet me tell you how great this food was! They had the freshest box I have ever had in my life…read more Oh the amount of food I got fed my family for weeks . Thank you so much. I didn't snap a picture but I can say it was an amazing experience. The service was exceptional and the value of the goods were beyond bomb.

Ms Ann is amazing, she has provided services to myself, and my family for over 2yrs now. The food…read moreis great and healthy and the location provides an ambience of peace!!! Weather it's visiting the garden area or just having a bite to eat!!! You will feel like you're on a trip for a day!!! May God continue to bless the vision and purpose of Ms Ann and Project 43. The marathon continues...... @juicyteas424.

An incredible experience. The organization is in good hands through the teachers and volunteers who…read morerun it and the attitude is really positive all around. Brought a group of friends to join in and everyone seemed to have great takeaways from the experience. The kids are active and interested and the books chosen were fitting for each age group. Definitely looking to come back for another reading.

My 400th Yelp review!…read more @ReadingtoKids is a grassroots organization that aims to inspire the love of reading to children living in underprivileged areas of Los Angeles. Every second Saturday of the month, volunteers go to different elementary schools in the LA area. At these schools volunteers read books to kids that range in age from kindergarten to fifth grade. (Currently there are seven different elementary schools that Reading to Kids volunteers read at. They are Alta Loma Elementary School, Esperanza Elementary School, Gratts Elementary School, Los Angeles Elementary School, Magnolia Elementary School, Politi Elementary School and White Elementary School). Volunteers come from all walks of life. From students to young professionals, all have a common goal of improving the reading and learning skills of elementary school kids. Reading to Kids volunteers are dedicated to giving these kids the opportunity to succeed in life. At the end of each volunteer session, the kids are given prize books that they can take home. The hope is they can acquire many prize books that will help them further love reading. One of the most endearing moments for me as a volunteer was when at the end of the reading session, a little kindergarten boy came up to me and asked if I could read his prize book to him. As I sat down to read the prize book, more kindergarten kids circled around me and together they listened and pointed to the different pictures in the book. The smiles on the kids faces after was so heartwarming. Soon after one of the parents walked up to me, smiled and said "Thank you." That too was another wonderful moment. Many of the elementary students that come to these reading clubs do not have the privileges that most kids have. They do not have the advantages of having a library, of having a Barnes and Nobles at every corner or of having the latest cell phone. Many come from low income families, they live in impoverished areas and English is their second language. The fortune of these kids comes in attending these Saturday morning reading clubs. These kids go to these reading clubs because they want to learn. They want to succeed. They want the opportunity to have a better life. Seeing these kids so eager to read and to learn, is a humble reminder that learning is a privilege that many take for granted. I love Reading to Kids and I'm thankful to my high school friend who first introduced me to this great volunteering opportunity. The elementary schools kids are simply endearing. I also am amazed by all the good hearted people who volunteer. I am in much admiration of the amount of folks that go out and sacrifice their Saturday mornings to volunteer. (Some stats: Reading to Kids has an average of about 300 plus volunteers reading to an average of 780 plus children every month). I being a volunteer myself know that giving up a Saturday is totally worth it. The opportunity to be able to make a difference in these kids' lives and give them a better chance to succeed in life is simply priceless.

I definitely believe they are doing very good and much needed work here…read more I came here to donate two large bags of clothes. I wanted to ensure the clothes would get to someone who needed them as a lot of other places either sell the clothes or they get thrown out. I had not realized looking at the address I would be going to the skid row area, but that is indeed where people are in need. I was caught a little off guard by the severity of the unfortunate surrounding the building and gathering around the front desk inside. However, I was immensely impressed with how the employees handled each and every person. With patience and kindness, even laughs where appropriate. This center is truly doing the Lord's work. The process for donating was very easy, and based on what I witnessed during my short wait, ladies who could use the items would definitely get them. Now, due to disability I am a non driver and use Uber. I Ubered here with no issues, however Ubering back was challenging as the first two Ubers apparently rolled up and before I could make my way down the walkway (meaning the driver didn't see me straight away) they took off without waiting the required two minutes. I can only assume because there are quite a few mentally ill and homeless hanging around the building. Uber's problem, not the center's and it was handled with them. Just wanted to throw that out there for anyone else that may use ride services to come donate here. Overall, I definitely appreciate the hard work this center is doing and will continue to donate here be it clothing, food or financially in the future.

I think that somebody needs to look into this organization seriously I would not volunteer there…read moreagain the kitchen staff was terrible to these women the actual I would say educated staff members who work at the front desk were not only disheartening and rude to these women with severe trauma but just the greed that I saw with donations and attitudes and the dignity people I'm deserve this year will not be volunteering over there there are many more organizations that deserve more time and More Love not a positive place for women it really felt more institutionalized