*Doing together what we cannot do alone | | |
Dear Friend,
As this is the last message of the year, and we are just weeks away from the first anniversary of the Eaton fire, I thought I would share one story from the dozens of families we have assisted. Each person/family has a unique experience, and this is from Ms. Desiree, in her own words.
“I became homeless two years ago, and during that time, a friend opened her home to me and my children. When news first came out about the Altadena fires, we weren’t immediately worried. Unfortunately, our home was affected, and once again, my children and I found ourselves without a place to live.
It was an incredibly difficult experience—being at work while hearing about the fires, knowing homes were being lost, and realizing that the place we were staying had been impacted. The fear and uncertainty were overwhelming.
Through a coworker, I was connected to Friends In Deed. From that moment on, everything began to change. Virginia, Outreach Program Manager & Mental Health Specialist, helped me, and Christina, Housing Navigator, supported me and my children tremendously. I owe them more than I can express.
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Because of Friends In Deed, my children and I now have permanent housing. Not just a small one-bedroom apartment, but a real home. My kids have stability, safety, and a place to grow.
I thank Friends In Deed with all my heart, and I know my children do too.”
We want to thank all of the individuals, foundations, corporations, and community partners who supported our work, enabling us to help so many victims in so many different ways. We are praying that all those affected by the fires are finding their way on the road to recovery. We will continue to be there for as many of you as we can.
And, as we are in the midst of our winter appeal campaign, we hope you will consider Friends In Deed in your end-of-year giving, providing us with a strong start to the work ahead in the new year. Thank you!
On behalf of the staff and board of directors, I want to wish folks a Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, and a joyous holiday season. And here’s to a healthy and happy 2026!
Blessings and have a lovely weekend,
Rabbi Joshua
| | | | To give our hardworking staff a chance to enjoy time with their loved ones, Friends In Deed will be closed from Wednesday, December 24th, through Thursday, January 1st. | | We can only operate with your help! | | | | Rabbi Joshua had the honor of joining our friends at New Revelations Baptist Church | They celebrated Rev. George Hurtt’s 30 years of ministry...Read more. | | | | Welcome to our newest leaders! | We’re excited to introduce and celebrate our four incredible new board members: Suzanne Lee, Don Meaders, Rev. Dr. Amy Aitken, and Chancela Al-Mansour. Their unique perspectives in advocacy, leadership, and community engagement will be invaluable as we continue serving our neighbors with compassion and dignity...Read Pasadena Now article. | | | | Financial Wellness in Action! | Our Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance (EPRA) team kicked off December with a fantastic Personal Financial Workshop—just in time for the holidays...Read more. | | | | We’re excited to welcome Waldo and Ivy to the Friends In Deed Food Pantry | They are part of the College Corps program at Glendale Community College, which helps create debt-free pathways to college while engaging students across the state in solving real challenges in their communities...Read more. | | Small acts of kindness can create big ripples | | | | |
Every meal, every conversation, and every safe night made possible by Friends In Deed supporters spreads outward, touching lives in ways we can’t always see.
Your ongoing generosity fuels these ripples every day, and this winter, you can make them go even further.
| | Our Bonfire Shop is Open! | | |
We now have a print-on-demand shop where you can purchase Friends In Deed t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags.
A small portion of the proceeds will go back to Friends In Deed!
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At Friends In Deed, we honor the dignity and privacy of every person we serve. The stories we share are real, but sometimes, we change names or minor details or use stock photos to protect our clients’ identities. Thanks for your compassion, understanding, and support.
Friends In Deed is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. We embrace and celebrate the spectrum of our employees’, volunteers’, and clients’ ages, color, ability or disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, neurodiversity, and other characteristics that make our employees, volunteers, and clients unique.
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