Posts Tagged ‘dinner-in-the-park’

Help Make our Christmas Dinner-in-the-Park a Huge Success!

Monday, December 21st, 2009

There are lots of ways you can help make our Christmas Dinner-in-the-Park a huge success! Here’s how:

  • Donate new unwrapped toys from now through Wed., Dec. 23rd, 7am to 5pm. (Gifts must be dropped off by noon on Dec. 23rd).
  • Gather your neighbors, co-workers or your group of friends to cook hams provided by Union Station. We need groups to cook 15 or more hams prior to Christmas Day. If your group can do it, sign up by visiting the Food Needs List on our Dinner-in-the-Park page at www.unionstationhs.org.
  • Donate one or more cooked hams. Prepared hams can be dropped off at Union Station’s Adult Center at 412 S. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105 on Dec. 25th (Christmas morning), 9:30 – 11am. Pull in to the small parking lot in front of the building where our kitchen loading area is located – someone will be there with a smile to help you unload!
  • Donate side dishes on Christmas morning. We need lots of side dishes, safely prepared in disposable containers, including mashed potatoes (without gravy), scalloped potatoes, gravy, peas, green beans, corn, and salad. These can be dropped off directly at Central Park between 9:30 – 11am on Christmas morning. Pull up on the Fair Oaks side of the park, just north of Del Mar Blvd., and a volunteer will be there to help you unload your delicious donation!

For lots more information on our Christmas Dinner-in-the-Park, go to our website at www.unionstationhs.org.

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Thanksgiving Dinner-in-the-Park Recap

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

While the proverbial dust is still settling from another successful Thanksgiving Dinner-in-the-Park, we are already hard at work on our next community event: Christmas Dinner-in-the-Park. More details will be available on our website in the coming weeks. To tide you over until then, here are a few statistics and a link to photos from Thanksgiving Day.

  • -Approximately 5,000 meals were served at on Thanksgiving Day to people who were homeless, senior citizens, alone at the holidays, or unable to afford a holiday meal.
  • -Approximately 2,000 volunteers pre-registered online through our new pre-registration system.
  • -350 turkeys were cleaned and cooked prior to Thanksgiving Day with more being donated the day of the event.
  • -342 cars dropped off food at Central Park (many dropped off multiple food donations).
  • -We couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of our community!

For more information visit our Holiday Dinners-in-the-Park webpage.

Photos of Thanksgiving Dinner-in-the-Park are available on our Photos webpage.

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Thanksgiving Dinner-in-the-Park

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

For over 30 years, Union Station Homeless Services has sponsored annual Dinners-in-the-Park on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Held in Pasadena’s Central Park, these events bring together thousands of volunteers to serve a hearty meal and holiday cheer to our less fortunate community members.

Last year we served more than 6,500 meals on Thanksgiving to people who were homeless, senior citizens, alone at the holidays, or unable to afford a holiday meal.

This year’s event features a star-studded list of celebrities, including actors Jason Behr (The Grudge, Roswell), Michael Ealy (Miracle at St. Anna, Seven Pounds), Jason Earles (Hannah Montana), Hector Elizondo (Monk, Cane, The Princess Diaries), Jane Kaczmarek (Raising The Bar, Malcolm in the Middle), Omar Miller (CSI: Miami, Miracle at St. Anna, 8 Mile), Nate Parker (The Great Debaters, The Secret Life of Bees), Alison Sweeney (The Biggest Loser, Days of Our Lives), and writer and producer Michael White (Nacho Libre, School of Rock).

Actor Eric McCormick (Will and Grace, Trust Me), who has volunteered for Union Station’s Thanksgiving event for more than five years, said “The number of people Union Station helps and the services they provide are impressive, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

You can help make Thanksgiving a little brighter for our homeless community members by donating food for Dinner-in-the-Park, including:

  • -Dry stuffing
  • -Cranberry sauce
  • -Pies of all varieties
  • -Instant potatoes
  • -Dinner rolls

Food donations can be dropped of at Union Station’s Adult Center at 412 S. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena during regular business hours through Wednesday, November 25.

Prepared food can also be dropped off at Central Park on the corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Del Mar Boulevard, from 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM on Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings.

For additional information visit our Dinners-in-the-Park webpage or contact the volunteer department at (626) 240-4550 x 542.

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A Little Cooking Brings Normalcy

Monday, November 16th, 2009

This past spring, Food Services Manager Charles Bedell started cooking classes for our Adult Center clients, as well as a separate class for children at the Family Center. The value of these classes to our homeless community members is far greater than the food preparation skills they learn. Read Charles’ take on the class below.

Every day as I walk into the Adult Center, a resident or day patron will stop me to ask when the next cooking class is. Never mind that the class is always scheduled for Wednesday and many of the people who ask don’t actually show up. Still, those who do show up are as attentive and enthusiastic as young children on their first day of school.

Amidst the disorders in their lives, for one day a week our clients find something to care about that is entirely their own choice. It is a personal interest that they get to pursue. It is neither a requirement nor an obligation, but something as simple as a hobby they enjoy.

For six weeks they learn cooking skills including basic food safety, sauces, methods of cooking meats, herbs and spices, and knife skills. We also move on to more advanced topics like international cuisine, desserts, and menu creation. Not only do participants gain knowledge needed to prepare healthy well-balanced meals for themselves, but they also learn marketable skills that they could use in future employment. In fact, many of our participants are actually aspiring to work in the restaurant business.

It is easy for our homeless residents and day patrons to be consumed with their state of homelessness. Most times, all they can think about is how to survive. The cooking class provides them a medium to enjoy the simple things that those of us who are not homeless take for granted. It brings normalcy to their lives. Besides helping our homeless clients to survive in the real world, we should also relentlessly remind them that being homeless does not mean one must abandon pursuing personal growth and happiness.

Charles Bedell
Food Services Manager

Interested in doing a little cooking of your own? Help Union Station by cooking turkeys for our Thanksgiving Dinner-in-the-Park. For more information visit our Dinner-in-the-Park webpage.

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