Local News in Brief : 2 Area Shelters Serve Holiday Dinner to 300
About 300 homeless people from the San Fernando Valley received some holiday cheer Sunday as two community organizations held Christmas dinners.
At the San Fernando Valley Corps of the Salvation Army in Van Nuys, volunteers served 160 people what was called Christmas Dinner I, said Capt. John Purdell. Christmas Dinner II will be served at the center next Sunday.
Purdell said the Salvation Army provides a free meal every Sunday night, but attendance at the Christmas dinner was higher than on most Sundays. Recent cold weather has brought more homeless people in contact with the organization, which opens the center as a shelter during extreme weather conditions, he said.
Holiday meals are paid for by donations made at local shopping centers and stores that allow volunteers to set up red donation buckets, Purdell said.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Community Action Network held a holiday banquet at the Valley Shelter in North Hollywood, where officials said another 150 homeless people, mostly families staying at the shelter, took part. A Christmas tree was decorated, and a Santa Claus gave gifts to the children during the banquet.
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