When you think about “helping the poor and homeless” the concept can be so huge and in some ways abstract that it’s hard to know where to start. Food? Shelter? Clothing? Medical care? Education? Training programs? It’s overwhelming. For me, Help A Mother Out is so specific that it makes it so easy to make a difference.

The facts are these: Diapers and baby wipes are not covered under social safety net programs like WIC and food stamps. And diapers are expensive. And you need a lot of them every day. Poor and homeless families often have to decide between food, rent and diapers. Babies can go without a clean diaper for days, leading to health problems for the baby and more stress for the family.

Help A Mother Out is working to bridge the gap and provide diapers for those in need. While HAMO is based in San Francisco, they have an LA/SoCal branch run by the amazing and tireless Kim Tracy Prince. Along with being a working mom of two, Kim makes time to organize diaper drives and raise awareness of this growing problem.

Earlier this week I attended the final day of the Glendale diaper drive. (I had written about it in November.) A variety of groups, along with Help A Mother Out worked to raise 22,833 diapers in two weeks. Awesome! At the Glendale armory, over 16,000 diapers (I helped count) were there for an official photo and then to be distributed to specific organizations that would hand them out to families who needed them. The overall event was for homeless awareness in general and we handed out diapers to homeless moms with their kids right then and there.

I was particularly touched as I helped a woman who works for Door Of Hope in Glendale. Door of Hope is a transitional housing organization to help homeless families get back on their feet. This dedicated woman specifically works with battered and abused women and children who have left bad situations, sometimes with almost nothing but the clothes on their backs. She had a list of the 11 babies (newborn to toddlers) currently living there who needed diapers. One of the moms was going through chemo and had a one year old. The Door Of Hope woman asked me, “Do you think I could get two boxes of diapers for her?” It was all I could do to A) not burst into tears and B) not put all the diapers you see above in her car.

So this holiday season or even in the New Year — it doesn’t matter when, because there is always a need — please consider donating money or diapers to Help A Mother out. Go to their website and find the “Donate Now” button or if you have diapers you want to drop off in person, click here to find out how to do that. And you can donate diapers online. Click here to find out how.

Every baby deserves a clean diaper!

And if you are wondering about cloth diapers, here is the info about that from the HAMO website:

Our greatest need is for disposable diapers (traditional brand or eco-friendly). However, we gratefully accept NEW cloth pocket diaper kits, similiar to Econobum diaper kits, for distribution to a small percentage of the families we serve. Why? For the vast majority of our partner’s clients, cloth diapers are not a realistic option. We recommend reading the Diaper Divide as a primer on this debate. The Cloth Diaper Foundation is a nonprofit organization that primarily helps families in need get started with cloth diapering, and they accept donations of new and gently used cloth diapers.

Kim Tracy Prince (left) and over 16,000 diapers.

(And yes, I put my money where my blog post is. I have personally donated about 1000 diapers this year.)

I hope Oprah doesn’t have a problem with me riding her coattails on this, but since I’ve been a Kiva fan and lender since long before 2010, perhaps it’s Big O who is tagging along with me.

Kiva is one of my favorite organizations helping to alleviate poverty around the world. Kiva is not a typical charity, wherein you might make a donation which is then used to help those in need. Kiva is a micro-lending organization which facilitates the funding of small loans (average loan is $381) for impoverished entrepreneurs. Those small loans help people build their businesses, and work to lift themselves out of poverty. Like a standard loan, it is expected that the money will be paid back.

While the average loan is a few hundred dollars, that is distributed across many lenders. The typical lender contribution to any one loan is only $25. For only $25, you can help change a life. Continue reading below where I’ll tell you how you can help just as much for even less of your own cold, hard cash.

One of the things I like best about Kiva is the feeling of partnership. Unlike typical charities where you donate and the money gets distributed to…someone, with Kiva you get to decide exactly where your money goes. When you go to Kiva’s website, you can see all of the different loans that are funding now and learn about the entrepreneurs before you choose to lend to them. You’ll see pictures, learn about their business, read a bit of their personal story. You can choose what country, what type of business, and specifically which individual you want to lend to.

Since 2005, Kiva has loaned nearly $180 million through Kiva Field Partners (local microfinance partners) in 57 countries to over 470,000 entrepreneurs. Here’s the best part: all of those impoverished entrepreneurs  get the benefit of the loans, then pay the money back. Kiva’s current loan repayment rate is 98.91%. That means a default rate of less than 1.1%! That repaid money can then be loaned out again and again, and the same small amount of your money helps multiple entrepreneurs numerous times.

Right now Groupon is offering $25 Kiva loan credits for only $15. For less than the cost of a night at the movies (for one, no date,) you can help change a person’s life for the better. Here’s how:

• First, if you’re not already a Groupon member, join here. Full disclosure: If you join through that referral link, Groupon will give me a kickback, which I will in turn use to make more Kiva loans. Everybody wins, particularly another poor cobbler in Uruguay.
• Buy a $25 Kiva credit for only $15 through Groupon here. Don’t wait; this is a limited time/limited availability offer.
• Register with Kiva here. Then choose the loan you want to fund here.
• As the loan is repaid you’ll get regular updates as to its status. When the first $15 (your initial investment) is repaid, it’s yours. You can either withdraw or re-loan it, which is what I do. The $10 that Groupon kicks in will be donated to Kiva when the initial loan is repaid, helping to cover Kiva’s 501(c)(3) non-profit operating costs.

Easy. Only a couple of steps. It might take you 10 minutes and minimal financial investment, for which you will have direct positive impact on a specific individual’s life.

In this season of giving, here is a big opportunity for a small contribution that will continue to give throughout the year, again and again.

There are many ways to give – donating money or time or expertise. Donating blood or platelets (or plasma or red blood cells) is an extra special way to give, to literally give of yourself. During the holidays maybe you might consider taking an hour from all the shopping and wrapping and sit quietly while you donate blood. Or better yet, take two to three hours, lay back, watch a movie in a comfy lounge chair and donate platelets. Or consider a new year’s resolution to donate. Your donation saves lives.

I’ve written about donating platelets before and often encourage people to give it a try. Donating blood and/or platelets is crucial for so many reasons. Here is info from the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center website:

A Cancer Patient can require up to 2 units of platelets per week. (And donated platelets only last about 4-5 days once donated, blood can be stored longer.)

An Automobile Accident Victim can use up to:

• 50 units of red blood cells
• 2 units of platelets
• 10 units of plasma

A Liver Transplant Recipient uses on average:

• 25 units of red blood cells
• 5 units of platelets
• 40 units of plasma

A Stem Cell Transplant Recipient can use up to:

• 10 units of red blood cells
• 10 units of platelets with ongoing outpatient transfusion needs

A Heart Surgery Patient uses on average:

• 7 units of red blood cells
• 2 units of platelets
• 4 units of plasma

Gorgeous life saving platelets!

I hope none of you ever find yourself in any of those situations, but if you do, or it happens to a loved one, knowing there is enough life saving blood and blood products out there will give some relief.

Not everyone can donate (for various reasons) so please call and see if you are eligible, then make an appointment. There are many places to donate around Los Angeles, ULCA’s Center just happens to be nearest to me.

Oh and here’s the part where you get something out of it – other than the joy and satisfaction of contributing a part of yourself – at UCLA (and maybe at other places) they give you thank you gifts of movie tickets or gift cards (jamba juice, starbucks, etc). How nice is that? Plus the yummy juice and cookies waiting for you in the resting area when you are done donating.

Make 2011 a year in which you donate blood or other blood products!

UCLA Blood and Platelet Center
1045 Gayley Avenue
2nd Floor
Los Angeles, CA, 90024
(310) 825-0888

This happy Frosty greeted me at an intersection yesterday while I waited for the light. He’s so happy and festive that I had to take a picture. I wonder what is in the present at his feet.

Merry Merry!

(click image to big-a-fy)

I’m not a fan of organized religion, except when organized religion organizes something as successful as the Westside Thanksgiving. This past Thanksgiving, I volunteered to help feed some 3,000 homeless and needy people at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, in the annual Westside Thanksgiving event put on by a large interfaith consortium led by the Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

As the photo above indicates, the Civic Auditorium was bedecked in festive balloons,  and long tables with tablecloths.  The volunteers were encouraged to take some time to sit down, share a meal and talk with the attendees, and partake in the whole experience. I did so and was both impressed and overwhelmed with all aspects of the event: the number of people served, the huge number of volunteers who showed up to help, the quality and quantity of the food (a large plate of turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie at a separate table), and the efficiency of service (when attendees sat down to eat, servers came over within seconds to bring food and drinks).  In addition to the food service, attendees were offered free haircuts and medical attention, and were given a bag of clothing and personal items upon leaving.  As far as I could tell, this large event was extremely well-organized, and went off without a hitch.

The link above specifies a number of companies and schools which donated or otherwise helped out with Westside Thanksgiving.  In addition, many unnamed individuals gave their time, money, food, and even their cooking skills, preparing many of the turkeys in their own ovens beforehand.

Based on this year’s tremendous volunteer turnout, I can’t say that they will need more on-site volunteers next year, but I’m sure they can use donations of cash or other items.  Here’s what was requested this year, along with relevant contact information.  Presumably, a similar list will be posted at the same site next year.

One way or another, I plan to help out with Westside Thanksgiving again.  And if you decide to join in, thanks in advance.

(This post is part of the “Sweet Charity: Blogging.LA’s Guide to Giving” series)

(This post is part of Sweet Charity:  Blogging.LA’s Guide to Giving, our guide to alternative places to spend your dollars and make a difference this holiday season!)

Esperanza Community Housing serves the families that live in and around the Figueroa corridor. The organization’s original focus was on housing, and they’ve built and maintained sustainable and affordable housing for folks with low incomes. But they’ve expanded their mandate to include all kinds of things that go beyond just housing and show a real dedication to developing a self-sustaining, vital community. They provide health-related education and services in English and Spanish, they run arts and science workshops for kids and families. They have an extensive education program, and train community leaders to become “health promoters,” giving them the knowledge and resources to work for health and social justice issues on a grassroots level.

Esperanza Community Housing also operates Mercado La Paloma, an amazing marketplace and community space located at 3655 South Grand Avenue. The Mercado is full of small, independently owned, community-based businesses, all of which were founded with the assistance of Esperanza Community Housing, who provided business training and startup resources, with the intent of creating jobs and business ownership opportunities in the community. The shops in the Mercado include small restaurants and shops, selling everything from arts and crafts to computer supplies. I found out about it when I met some friends for dinner at Mo-Chica, which is an amazing Peruvian restaurant located in the Mercado. (You should go, and try the AMAZING ceviche!!) Mercado La Paloma also houses art exhibits, hosts classes on topics ranging from health and nutrition to computer how-to, has a kids’ reading nook, and plays host to events like film screenings and festivals. All in all, it’s an amazing, welcoming gathering space that provides much-needed community resources.

Want to help Esperanza Community Housing continue to provide affordable housing and resources? They welcome tax-dedutible donations on their website. And you can also support the small businesses in the Mercado by doing some of your Christmas shopping there! A good time to visit might be tomorrow, December 17^th, between 5:00 and 9:00pm, when the Mercado will be hosting a holiday celebration, with live music, dancing, and art workshops.

Esperanza Community Housing and Mercado La Paloma are located at 3655 South Grand Ave.  Directions are available here.

Photo of the Mercado La Paloma mural from lili.chen on flickr.

I so totally meant to post this earlier this week!  This Saturday (tomorrow) is the annual Naples Holiday Boat Parade.  It starts at 6pm, and from what I’m told it’s very cute and fun.  I’ve been to the Newport Beach Boat Parade in the past and if it’s similar to that, it’s great to see what people come up with.

For those wondering why I’m posting about a random Italian city, Naples is a small community in South Long Beach made up of really nice homes.  Similar to the Italian city, it has canals that run through the community.  It is a very nice place that I suggest you check out sometime, even if you can’t make it for the holidays.

I was hoping to attend this year, but my new job is having their holiday party tomorrow night.  If you go, please tell us how it was in the comments!  I’ll even update with some of your pictures if you’d like.

(Or a Hanukkah dream come true, I’m not really sure.)

Scoops – that magical place of cold creamy mixes of amazing tastes and flavors – now has a second location on the Westside!  They opened December 1 and are probably doing land office business based on the exultations on twitter recently.

They currently have seven flavors and I hear one is pumpkin eggnog. Mmmmmm. Apparently they pour coffee from Intelligentsia as well.

I’m going to keep this simple:
3400 Overland Ave. (Overland Ave and Woodbine)
Open Monday-Saturday 12PM-10PM.
Closed Sundays
@scoopswestside

(There is a website scoopswestside.com, but it’s only a temp holding page for now.)

Scoops — it’s not just for hipsters with fixies anymore!

Driving along Royal Oaks in Duarte I spotted this little Christmas Tree planted along the median near the Walk Path in the green belt.  How nice it was that someone decided to spread a little happiness by decorating the tiny tree ala Charlie Brown’s Christmas.

Pic by me with the trusty cell phone cam.

This is a heartbreaker. Artist, collector & gallerist Ben McGinty’s closing his beautiful Gallery At the End Of the World in Altadena, and this weekend is its last hurrah. You can’t miss your last chance to see his amazing back garden full of treasures, everything from a hanging garden of magnifying glasses to the back of a gypsy caravan. There will be the ubiquitous eclectic collection of art, crafts and handmade books, and a chance to meet the artists & enjoy drinks with the locals.

Also celebrating a final night tonight: The Robotanists close out their residency at Casey’s, the historic Irish tavern in downtown. Don’t miss their atmospheric, dramatic compositions and vocalist Sarah Ellquist’s lush vocals.

Continuing the theme of going out with a bang (or in this case, lots of bangs & thuds & whams) is the final Derby Dolls bout of the year…tonight’s their season championship, with my personal faves the Tough Cookies going up against The Swarm.

And I also have to recommend hitting Divine Design in Beverly Hills, the annual charity shopping event; 100% of funds raised to to Project Angel Food, and everything–from Oscar De La Renta dresses to cosmetics & jewelry and shoes, is 60% off today; 70% off on Sunday; and 80-90% off on Monday.

Tomorrow night is the 28th annual Belmont Shore (not “Shores”) Christmas Parade.  I’ll be honest, I never knew there was a Belmont Shore Christmas Parade.  I didn’t know they did any special celebration.  I wish I had!  I would have been here PLENTY of times!  But I know now and I can NOT  wait.  I’ve been told it’s super fun and cute.

If you plan to attend, I’ve been told you should arrive early.  And parking can be a bitch, so if you’re coming from farther than you can walk, I suggest using Long Beach’s Passport.  It’s a cheap (sometimes free!), easy means of communication through the city.  I am very excited for this.  I’ll be there with some friends.  And as I always say, if you see me (or think you do) flag me down!

Starting TONIGHT, you can hang out on the streets of Silver Lake and listen to live musical performers including carolers, nom on some tasty treats, bid on live auctions, vote for your favorite window display, patronize the shops, and get to know your neighbors.

This first annual holiday block party runs for the next three Fridays – Dec. 3rd, 10th, and 17th from 6-9pm on Sunset, Hyperion, Rowena, Glendale and Silver Lake.

Hop over to the Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce website for all the deets.

That’s right kiddies.  It’s that time of year again.  Time for the annual Toluca Lake Open House.

Oh.  You don’t know what that is?  Allow me to explain.  Every year, for as long as I can remember (actual dates/amount of times are surprisingly hard to find) Toluca Lake has held an annual Open House the first Friday in December.  The open house features the businesses along Riverside Drive between Sancola and Pass Ave.  Most of these businesses are independently owned businesses.  They open their doors for the evening allowing residents and non-residents alike to walk around and explore what the community has to offer.  Many businesses even offer hot chocolate, coffee, treats, etc. for the passing guests.  And yes, it gets busy.  I always loved seeing the community come alive when I was younger.  The busiest spot every year is where the pictures with Santa take place.  Kids (and adults too) line up to get their pictures taken with the jolly fellow.

Do you have friends and/or family in town dying to see a “celebrity?”  Bring ‘em.  There are always many well-known faces in the crowd as Toluca Lake is home to more of them than they’d like you to know.  But I will cover that in a later post about Toluca Lake.

I hope you all can make it out.  It’s a great time.  And be sure to keep your eye out for me.  I’m the albino looking dude who will be freezing my buns off.

I was driving through West Hollywood along Santa Monica Boulevard the other day, and noticed a festive sign in the window of the Pleasure Chest (everyone’s favorite, fabulous adult emporium).  I decided that the sign in question couldn’t possibly have said what I thought it said, because what I thought it said was too impossibly silly.

But I went back today and discovered that, actually, yes, it did say what I thought it said.  And that is why I love my neighborhood:

Happy Holidays, folks.  Tits the season indeed.

It’s that time of the year again: no, not shopping, or acceptance of Christmas creep, or holiday countdowns.  No, it’s the Hollywood Christmas Parade, an annual event whose existence inexplicably strikes me as odd every year.  Larry King leads the parade down Hollywood Boulevard at 6pm, but the road closures start early and they’ll last all day.  The LAFD has a handy map of the road closures (click on the image to biggify); if you’re more textual than visual, the Hollywood Christmas Parade’s website bullet-points it out for you:

• Hollywood Blvd. from LaBrea to Orange at 6:00 AM. Re-open at 10:00 PM.
• Hawthorne Ave., DeLongpre Ave., Fountain Ave. from LaBrea to Highland Ave. at 1:00 PM. Re-opening at 9:00 PM.
• El Cerrito Place from Hollywood Blvd. to Franklin Ave. at 1:00 PM. Re-open at 8:00 PM.
• Sycamore, Orange from Franklin Ave. to Fountain at 1:00 PM. Re-open at 9:00 PM.
• Sunset Blvd. from LaBrea Ave. to Highland Ave. at 1:00 PM. Re-open at 10:00 PM.
• East side of LaBrea from Hollywood Blvd. to Sunset Blvd. at 4:00 PM. Re-open at 7:00 PM.
• Highland Ave. from Franklin Ave. to Santa Monica at 4:00 PM. Re-open at 9:00 PM.
• Hollywood Blvd. from Highland Ave. to Gower at 4:00 PM. Re-open at 9:00 PM.
• Vine Street from Franklin Ave. to Santa Monica at 4:00 PM. Re-open at 9:00 PM.
• Sunset Blvd. from Highland Ave. to Gower at 4:00 PM. Re-open at 9:00PM.
• Sunset Blvd. From Highland to La Brea at 3:00 PM. Reopen at 10:00 PM