Friends In Deed

Thanks to a generous grant from our new friends at Animal Farm Foundation, we recently purchased dog and cat food for both our Food Pantry and Street Outreach and Housing communities. For many of the people we serve, their pet is their most loyal companion and greatest source of comfort. Being able to support that bond means everything. 🐾💚

Thank you, Animal Farm Foundation, for helping us show up for every member of our community, the two-legged and four-legged ones alike. 🐶🐱

Shoutout to Chewy for making it easy to get exactly what our furry neighbors need!

It's almost Back-to-School time! 🎒✏️ Every August, we distribute backpacks and school supplies to students in our Food Pantry community. This year, we're aiming to reach 400+ kids.

There are four easy ways to help make it happen. Swipe to find yours. ➡️

Donations accepted starting July 4th.

For drop-off details, deadlines, and more, please visit https://friendsindeedpas.org/programs/the-food-pantry/ 💚

Project Purge: Complete. 🗂️✂️

Years in the making, Helen, our Senior Director of Administration and Human Resources, finally got to celebrate a major milestone last week.

Back in 2020, we began digitizing our records as part of a long-term commitment to being more environmentally friendly. Now, having held onto our paper files for the required statutory period, we can finally say goodbye to nearly all of it.

Thirty. Boxes. Gone.

We'd say this calls for a confetti cannon, but we're trying to cut down on paper. 😄🎉

☀️ Summer is coming!

As the temperatures rise, the women we serve need a little extra support to stay cool and comfortable. From sunscreen and sandals to handheld fans and cooling shirts, every item on this list makes a real difference for our guests this season.

💚 Here's how you can help:

🛒 Shop our Amazon Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3DMGJ2J0JFGHL

📦 Drop off donations at 444 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104. Mondays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. are preferred. Please email [email protected] or call/text (626) 831-1490 ahead of time so we can coordinate.

💵 Prefer to give by check? Make it out to "Friends In Deed," with "TWR Spring/Summer Supplies" in the memo, and mail or drop it off at the address above.

Share with anyone who might want to help. 🙏

The June calendar of activities for The Women’s Room is available!

A few weeks ago, our Food Pantry staff and 18 volunteers traded the pantry for the peaks, hiking up to Mt. Wilson Observatory for a well-deserved adventure. And by all accounts, it was absolutely out of this world. 🔭✨

We are so grateful for this incredible team. They show up week after week to serve hundreds of neighbors with care and dedication. Moments like this are a reminder of the community they've built together.

A huge thank you to the staff at Mt. Wilson Observatory for such a wonderful evening. Your warmth and hospitality made it truly special. We're still talking about it. 💚

🌈 Happy Pride Month from all of us at Friends In Deed! 🌈

June is a time to celebrate the belief that every person deserves to be welcomed exactly as they are. In our Food Pantry, in The Women's Room, on our streets, and in our community, we strive every day to create spaces where everyone belongs.

To our LGBTQIA+ neighbors, guests, volunteers, donors, and staff: you are seen, you are valued, and you are celebrated. Always! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤎🩵🩷🤍

When Tim, Director of the Food Pantry, went on vacation, we did what any normal workplace would do — we made a cardboard cutout of him. 😄

Meet Flat Tim.

Flat Tim drove the van. Flat Tim welcomed neighbors to the Food Pantry. Flat Tim had deep conversations with guests at The Women's Room. Flat Tim even snuck in a nap in the TWR nap room. He was everywhere. He was tireless. He required zero snacks.

A huge thank you to Rosie, our TWR Program Attendant and the mastermind behind Flat Tim, for keeping morale and Tim's cardboard likeness standing tall all week. 🙌

We're glad you're back, Tim. The real you is great, but Flat Tim set the bar pretty high. 😂💚

Say hello to Mercedes Soto, ICMS Housing Specialist, the newest member of the Street Outreach and Housing team.🎉💚

Mercedes brings 12 years of social services experience and a deep passion for helping people feel seen, heard, and supported through life's hardest moments. She's also a foodie, a traveler, a true-crime enthusiast, and a mom to a 130-pound Cane Corso puppy who apparently stops traffic wherever he goes. 🐾😄

We are so glad she's part of the Friends In Deed family.

Drop a 👋 in the comments to welcome Mercedes to the team!

Adriana grew up in her Altadena home. The Eaton Fire took it in an instant. 🏡💔

What followed was a year of uncertainty: a scattered family, an unforgiving rental market, and the kind of stress that makes it hard to imagine the future. When Adriana finally found a compassionate landlord willing to work with her, she was still facing an impossible gap.

Thankfully, the Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance program stepped in to help. Our Housing Navigator Russell worked with Adriana and her landlord to cover past-due rent and bring her account current. For the first time in months, she could breathe.

More than a year after the Eaton Fire, families are still rebuilding. Stories like Adriana's are a reminder of why this work matters and why it can't stop.

Sign up for Rabbi Joshua's weekly email to receive stories like this one straight to your inbox. Visit https://friendsindeedpas.org/fid-newsletters-and-other-writings/ -connected