Community: Boys & Girls Club members share good fortune
Panda Express employees served up lunch and led a fortune-cookie decorating workshop at the Boys & Girls Club in honor of National Fortune Cookie Day on July 20.
The event marked the launch of #ShareGoodFortune, the company’s movement to redefine the meaning of “fortune” and inspire thoughtful generosity among others.
Youths attending the interactive workshop wrote their own “FortuNotes” of gratitude, which allowed them to express appreciation toward others in their lives.
The purpose of the event was to exemplify a movement that started a year ago in the company to share good fortune, said Thien Ho, spokeswoman with Panda Express.
“We decided to take this idea outside the company and see if people gravitate to pausing and taking a moment to be thankful for what they have and who they have in their lives, and there is no better way to express that than through kids, and that’s why we partnered with Burbank Boys & Girls Club today,” she said.
The culinary team set up activity stations and the club members were able to make fortune cookies from scratch and decorate them with frostings and sugar sprinkles. They wrote “FortuNotes” that allowed them to express why they are grateful for the things they have in their lives, and those were placed on a wall of the club house.
“We were so pleasantly grateful that the kids got the idea so quickly,” Ho said. “The main thing they were fortunate for was someone in their lives.”
One example of this was one little boy who announced he was grateful for his friends at the club, and then he rounded them up and they shared a group hug.
Joining in the workshop were Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler and Ian Chen, stars of ABC’s hit family comedy “Fresh Off the Boat” and ISAtv’s new web series “Kids Do” and “Taste Test with Hudson Yang,” “The Forrest Wheeler Adventures” and “Growing Up with Ian Chen.”
And the club members got a special treat to try the fortune cookie milkshake, which is only available at the Pasadena restaurant.
Club member Jocelyn Gomez, 13, of Palmdale, said she enjoyed making the fortune cookies.
“I learned how to make them from scratch and decorated my cookie with three different frostings and colored sprinkles,” she said.
Jocelyn wrote her FortuNote to her mom.
“I told her, ‘Thank you for everything you have done,’” she said. “”Even though I don’t live with you, you are still there for me.’”
Alexis Gentry, 10, of Burbank, made two taco fortune cookies. She made one for her mom and the other for Jocelyn, who is a good friend at the club house.
“I decorated my mom’s cookie with white frosting and pearl and black sprinkles,” she said. “I live with my mom so my FortuNote said, ‘Thank you for the best 10 years of taking care of me.’”
What she learned, she said, was that it’s OK to express yourself a little more.
The visit by Panda Express was compatible to the goals for which Boys & Girls Club leaders strive, said Susan Sebastian, director of development.
“We teach all of our children not only the fundamentals, but we try to incorporate values into everything we do, and what was so gratifying is that Panda Express’ own values and mission aligned with ours to have the best for our children and to encourage them to appreciate what they have,” she said. “This event seemed like a natural fit, and that’s what we were excited about.”
As part of the #ShareGoodFortune campaign, all fortune cookies in Panda restaurants have been replaced with renamed “Fortunate Cookies” through Aug. 10. During the campaign, Panda Express’ limited edition Fortunate Cookies will feature messages of gratitude and giving. Guests are encouraged to tag friends and family they want to share their fortune with using the hashtag #ShareGoodFortune on social media.
Club members said they enjoyed the lunch of chow mien, fried rice, orange chicken, beef and broccoli and, of course, fortune cookies.
BTAC teams with social services
The Burbank Temporary Aid Center, known at BTAC, has launched a new partnership with the Department of Public Social Services to provide a more convenient way to apply for Cal-Fresh and Medi-Cal.
A representative from social services will visit BTAC from 9 a.m. to noon every third Thursday of the month to help low-income families and individuals apply for these benefits.
This should provide a great service because the nearest social services location is at 4680 San Fernando Road, Glendale.
The CalFresh program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, issues monthly electronic benefits that can be used to buy most foods at many markets and food stores.
The California Medical Assistance program (Medi-Cal) is the California Medicaid welfare program serving low-income individuals, including families, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women and childless adults with incomes 138% below the federal poverty level.
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JOYCE RUDOLPH can be reached at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.