Palsy Victims Donate Food to Homeless

Putting empathy into action, 45 cerebral palsy sufferers this week donated boxes of cereal, cans of vegetables and bags of rice and beans to the United Methodist Church of North Hills to assist the church’s hot breakfast and food outreach programs for homeless and poor San Fernando Valley residents.

For six months, the people who attend classes at the Adult Development Program of the Van Nuys-based United Cerebral Palsy/Spastic Children’s Foundation spent part of their days finding the ideal charity, writing letters to businesses seeking food donations, picking up those items and selecting their favorite foods for donation.

In the end, they chose the church because it is local and offers both hot meals and hot showers on a regular basis, explained Wendy Odom, a consultant to the foundation who organized the donation drive.

Given their severe physical handicaps--which can make composing, typing, stuffing and stamping a letter a daylong chore--the donation process was “a labor of love,” Odom said.

Presenting the more than 900 food items to the Rev. Jim Hamilton and Verna Porter Thursday at the church, the donors were clearly proud.

Said Cathy Gaddy, a student in the Adult Development Program who worked for three months gathering food donations: “I feel that, in many different ways, disabled people need help, and in many different ways, we get it. And to see what homeless people go through, it’s sad. So we would like to help the homeless people as much as possible.”

Her classmate Dorothy Wallis agreed. “We all need help getting on our feet,” she said. “The homeless families need help, too. I’m happy to help. I wouldn’t like to be homeless either.”

Because November and December is the typical donation season, church food program coordinator Porter said the groceries were particularly helpful. She estimates that the food donation will last up to two months at the church, depending on the number of homeless people who ask for meals.