16th Taste of Larchmont a Great Success

HOPE-NET
An Interfaith outreach program to eliminate hunger and homelessness
FALL 2008
16th Taste of Larchmont a Great Success
Be a Hope-Net
Piggy Bank partner
Another fantastic Taste of
Larchmont took place on July
21. Aided by a perfect summer
evening, over 500 patrons
enjoyed plenty of delicious food
and a good time. Moreover, over
$40,000 was raised to support
Hope-Net’s essential services to
the low-income and homeless
population of our community.
Participants raved over the
generous, mouth-watering
portions they received from
participating restaurants: Avocado Grill, California Roll &
Sushi, Chan Dara, El Cholo,
Kiku Sushi, La Luna, La Bottega
Marino, Le Pain Quotidien, Le
Petit Greek, Louise’s Trattoria,
Larchmont Deli, Prado, Village
Pizzeria, Z Pizza, Leonidas, and
Larchmont Village Wines. The
dessert pavilion housed
Callendars Wilshire, Baskin
Robbins, Canters Deli, Coffee
Bean & Tea Leaf, Crumbs
Bakery, and the Larchmont
Larder.
The raffle produced more
ticket sales than ever, continuing even after the drawing
began. Grand prizes were the
traditional dinner for two at 12
local restaurants, and a five-day
and four-night vacation at the
Four Seasons resort on Maui
thanks to Novom Communications. Headed by Patti
Carroll, the raffle consisted of
20 outstanding, beautifully presented gifts that kept a large
crowd assembled to the very
Led by board member
Gill Wagner, Hope-Net has
a great new and fun activity
– the Hope-Net Piggy Bank.
The small, clear
“little porker”
has inscribed on
its side: “HopeNet…because
none of our
neighbors should
go hungry.”
Already over 200 little
banks have been distributed
to businesses, schools and
individuals throughout the
community. The idea is to
use “your change to make a
change.”
Put your lose
change (or bills) into the
piggy and when full, give us
a call and we’ll come empty
it for you.
If you would like to participate and receive your
own Hope-Net Piggy Bank,
call us at 213.389.9949 and
look on our web site at
www.hope-net.info.
end. Congratulations to all the
winners and thanks to all who
participated. A special Hope-Net
thanks to Jose Narciso, Hope-Net
board member and raffle sales
person extraordinaire, and the
Metropolitan Community Church
for their “above and beyond”
support of the raffle.
NEW BOARD MEMBER
Michael Castro
Born in the shadow of Fort McHenry
in famous South Baltimore, Maryland,
home of the Blue Crab, Michael left
home early and grew up in Los Angeles. Beginning with his BA in Psychology in
1984, Michael has worked in Human
Resources (HR) across several industries. With his MS in Education Psychology, he brought his unique brand of HR
to Ticketmaster in 1994 where he worked
for many years as Senior Vice President,
Human Resources. Today he works for
Experian Interactive Media in Santa
Monica as VP Human Resources.
Michael is married to his beautiful wife
Ruth, who is also an HR professional,
and they have three children: Emma,
Celina and 2 year old Elena.
We are sad to see board member
Jolene Snett leave us. She and her
family have moved to Ventura County.
Jolene, thank you for all you’ve done for
us; best wishes for you and your family in
the future.
THANK YOU
Hope-Net received another generous
gift from the estate of Betty Diederich.
Betty was a dedicated supporter of
Hope-Net’s work in our community and
named Hope-Net as a beneficiary in her
will. Her and her family’s generosity is
deeply appreciated.
Hope-Net received generous grants
from The Ahmanson Foundation and the
Friars Club Foundation. We also want to
acknowledge the many local
congregations that support Hope-Net on
a regular basis according to their means:
First Baptist Church, First Unitarian
Church, First Congregational Church,
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church,
Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Islamic
Center of Southern California, St. James
Episcopal Church, Wilshire Boulevard
Temple, and Wilshire Presbyterian
Church. Thank you all for your generous
support.
Executive Director Report
What was Hope-Net up to this summer? Besides the Taste of
Larchmont, we continue to advocate on behalf of those who are
without sufficient food. Collaborating with agencies throughout the
state, including the California Association of Food Banks, we have
advocated to insure that reasonable levels of funding exist to serve
those who go hungry. Through letters and phone calls to legislators,
we strive to keep this issue active, especially with rising food and gas
prices and unemployment.
We have noticed an increase in the number of clients at our local
food pantries. This should not surprise us. The Los Angeles County
Department of Public Health released its findings on food insecurity
throughout the country and results show a marked increase in the
number of households at risk of hunger. Households facing hunger
increased 17% from 2003 to 2005, meaning more than one million
County residents face hunger. Our particular service area has been
among those with the greatest increase. Gratefully, our pantry
volunteers continue to excel at serving those who come by providing
sufficient supplemental food to meet their individual and family
needs.
Working with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, we are proud
of our continued efforts to provide our clients with fresh fruits and
vegetables, and dairy as possible. The chart indicates the types and
amount of food we have distributed through over the last six months.
Date
Crates
Pounds
Mar 7, 2008
348
15652
Apr 11, 2008
446
18701
May 9, 2008
May 30, 2008
Jun 20, 2008
565
488
426
16565
15968
15647
Jul 11, 2008
320
11580
Aug 22, 2008
453
18770
Sep 5, 2008
595
14969
TOTALS
3641
127852
Produce
oranges, cabbage, onions,
squash, pears, go-gurt, juice
oranges, onions, cabbage,
sweet potatoes
potatoes, onions, oranges,
green beans
eggplant, potatoes, go-gurt
bananas, red bananas
potatoes, corn, carrots,
cucumbers, squash, Mexican
squash, yogurt
pears, cucumbers, onions,
carrots, tomatoes
squash, bananas, yokult drink,
carrots, nectarines, plums,
celery
The Hope-Net board continues to evaluate the potential
effectiveness of maintaining centralized food storage, especially
refrigerated storage, to access additional fresh product. This is
complicated by the need for an adequate vehicle to transport the
food. Your comments, suggestions and help are welcome.
–Douglas G. Ferraro
HOPE-NETWORK is published by Hope-Net
760 South Westmoreland Avenue • Los Angeles, CA 90005 • (213) 389-9949 •
[email protected]
•
FAX (213) 389-0098
www.hope-net.info
Douglas Ferraro, Executive Director
Submissions of news, upcoming events, or human interest stories are happily received and should be sent in writing to the above address or FAXed.
Available in large print upon request.
TASTE OF LARCHMONT THANK YOUS
Once again the Larchmont Chronicle served as our
principle partner. Primary sponsors were Paramount
Pictures, Camden Asset Management and Olympia
Medical Center.
Neighborhood Sponsors included: Coldwell Banker
Hancock Park, Susan and Bill Ehrlich, First
Congregational Church, Jane Gilman, the Islamic
Center of Southern California, Mercury Insurance, Jill
and Andy Nieman, QueensCare, Ritz Dry Cleaners, St.
Brendan Church, Wilshire Boulevard Temple and
Wilshire Rotary Club.
Our Friend Sponsors included: Tom Brandlin, Color
Design Art, Cathleen Collins, Christ the King Church,
Walt and Virginia Engler, First Baptist Church, Bill
Gaddy, Larry and Elsa Gillham, Hollywoodland Realty,
Hollywood YMCA’s “A Brighter Future” program,
Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Immanuel
Presbyterian Church, Councilmember Tom LaBonge,
Larchmont Village Investors, Pickett Fences, Sandra
and Richard Rogers, Jolene and Andrew Snett, Solari
Enterprises, St. James Episcopal Church, Earle and
Theresa Vaughan, Tim and Sharon Wood.
Participants raved over the generous, mouthwatering portions they received from the participating
restaurants: Avocado Grill, California Roll & Sushi,
Chan Dara, El Cholo, Kiku Sushi, La Luna, La Bottega
Marino, Le Pain Quotidien, Le Petit Greek, Louise’s
Trattoria, Larchmont Deli, Prado, Village Pizzeria, Z
Pizza, Leonidas, and Larchmont Village Wines. The
dessert pavilion housed Callendars Wilshire, Baskin
Robbins, Canters Deli, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf,
Crumbs Bakery, and the Larchmont Larder.
Lastly, we want to thank the Taste of Larchmont
committee members and some special people who
made it all happen: Sandy Boeck, Patricia Carroll, Jane
Gilman, Nancy McBride, Marion Plato, Pam Rudy,
Steve Tator, Gill Wagner, Daniel Tator, Angstrom
Lighting and the leaders and members of Boy Scout
Troop 10.
MEET ANA ESPINOSA – LONG-TIME HOPE WEST RESIDENT
With our emphasis on food
pantry outreach, the great work of
Hope West Apartments can be
overlooked.
For over 10 years,
Hope-Net has managed this
beautifully maintained complex on
West Boulevard that has been home
to 17 low-income families. It offers
a safe, comfortable, central location
to live and raise a family. Recently
the Hope-Net board of directors
met at the site to inspect the
building and to receive a positive,
up-to-date report from the site’s
professional managers at Solari
Enterprises.
There we met resident Ana
Espinosa. A single mother of three,
Ana and her family have lived at
Hope West since it opened in 1995.
Her children, Marlene (age 27),
Jennifer (21) and Ricardo (17) have
grown up there. The girls went to
magnet schools and then to UCLA;
Ricardo to Daniel Murphy High
School and now studies at Santa
Monica College.
She described
how they were living in a small one
bedroom apartment around
Crenshaw and Wilshire when the
Hope West three bedroom/two bath
units opened. She smiled and said:
“This is exactly what I always
wanted for my family. It was just
perfect.”
Working primarily as a
housekeeper with limited income,
she couldn’t believe the
opportunity. After applying and
successfully completing a number
of interviews and qualification
standards, the Espinosa family had
a new home. Ana added: “Living
across from Queen Anne park has
been so much fun for the children.
It’s like a giant back yard.”
With
her family mostly grown, she now
hopes to move to a smaller unit
within Hope West. She continued
t o e x c l a i m h o w H o p e We s t
Apartments has become her
extended family, a place where all
the residents look out for one
another and truly care for and
appreciate their wonderful homes.
HOPE-NETWORK
2008
NETWORK
FALL
HOPEFALL 2008
Nutrition Tips
“No one should go hungry.” That simple sentence
embodies Hope-Net’s ongoing mission. Yet, we realize
more and more that food alone may not be sufficient;
people also need healthy, nutritious food to perform their
best and maintain good health.
Here are 4 nutrition myths:
1. Myth: Fresh fruits and vegetables are better than
frozen or canned. Fact: Research indicates that
frozen and canned foods are as nutritious as
fresh. In fact, since lycopene is more easily
absorbed in the body after it has been processed,
canned tomatoes, corn and carrots are sometimes
better nutrition choices.
2. Myth: Body weight is a reliable indicator of a
healthful diet. Fact: No two people have the
same body composition. The measure of one’s
diet and overall health combines many factors
including weight.
3. Myth: Eating carbohydrates causes weight gain.
Fact: Calories cause weight gain. Calories from
carbohydrates are no more fattening than calories
from other sources.
4. Myth: Eating just before bedtime is fattening.
Fact: What you eat, not when you eat is the more
important factor. Evidence suggests, however,
that eating regular meals, especially breakfast,
helps promote weight loss by reducing fat intake
and minimizing impulsive snacking.
(borrowed from the Spring 2008 edition of
“Nourishing News” published by the Los
Angeles Regional Food Bank)
HOPE-NET
760 South Westmoreland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90005-1499
“Because none of our neighbors should go hungry”
“Giving every individual
the right amount of
nourishment and exercise
is the safest way to
health.” -- Hippocrates
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