Traditions of Giving, Caring

While many Angelenos put the finishing touches on their Christmas preparations Thursday, others reveled in a different holiday tradition during the waning hours before Christmas Day: dishing up hot food and hope to those in need.

From the free meals at places like the Los Angeles Mission downtown to clothing and gift giveaways in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles-area residents were in the holiday spirit.

About 4,000 meals were served during the Los Angeles Mission’s annual Christmas meal, which attracted such volunteers as actors Charlton Heston and Elliott Gould. A line of hungry people snaked through the streets of skid row.

Festive red and green balloons and a live Christmas band lent a street festival atmosphere to the event, as groups of several hundred people at a time feasted on ham, corn and green beans at gaily decorated tables set up on 5th Street in the shadow of the downtown skyline.

“The most important part of the holiday is to share hope,” said Joe Rowe, 55, a recovering crack cocaine addict who is in the nonprofit relief agency’s rehabilitation program. “For people on skid row, their spirit is often broken and all their hope has leaked out. That’s what they get here. Sometimes this is the only warmth they feel from a human being all day.”

For Juan Mena, an unemployed construction worker in Boyle Heights, the meal was the only Christmas celebration he could offer his five children.

“Times are tough,” said Mena, 43. “It’d be a sad Christmas without this.”

Tyz Gardner, 2, sat cross-legged in a folding chair Thursday afternoon, munching on pieces of ham, a big slow smile spreading across her face.

“Mmmm!” said the toddler with a grin, as her mother, Seville Gardner, watched and smiled.

“We need a lot of help,” said Gardner, 20, who took a commuter train from Long Beach and waited in line an hour for the meal. “Things aren’t like they used to be. They cut back on county [welfare benefits], and between trying to go to school and get her child care, we don’t have much. This keeps me going. It helps me a lot.”

After eating, the children lined up outside a white tent to visit with Santa Claus (former “CHiPS” star Erik Estrada) and get a free gift.

Melissa Martinez, 3, peered through the wrapping paper of her present and squealed at the sight of a Winnie the Pooh stuffed bear. She hugged the package, beaming.

“I can’t get her much, so this is a special day for her,” said her mother, Lydia Martinez, 38.

This year, organizers said, more young children like Melissa than ever before were waiting in line for a hot meal.

“It’s a sign of the times with welfare [reform],” said the Rev. Mike Edwards, head of the mission. “We’re going to see more and more of this in the next year.”

Volunteer Leslie Straubel of Costa Mesa said she was stunned by the number of children in need.

“When we saw the line around the building, it boggled my mind,” said Straubel, 41. She and her husband brought three of their sons to the mission Thursday to help serve food.

“I want my kids to realize there are people out there who are less fortunate,” she said. “We’re going to make this a big part of our tradition.”

Many other volunteers around Los Angeles pitched in to offer goodwill and assistance.

About 4,000 families received a free holiday meal and gifts at the Quiet Cannon Restaurant in Montebello, an event sponsored by the city, the Fire Department and local service organizations.

In Huntington Park, about 150 families received a free dinner and gifts for their children from the Police Department’s officers association. A Salvation Army shelter in Bell received 120 free pizzas from California Pizza Kitchen to feed the homeless.

At the Trudy and Norman Louis Valley Shelter in North Hollywood, staff and volunteers busily packed food and clothing baskets Thursday for homeless and poor people in the San Fernando Valley and East Los Angeles.

More than 1,600 children in Pasadena, Sierra Madre and the surrounding area got a surprise visit from Santa Claus and a free toy Thursday evening as part of the Pasadena Jaycees’ Operation Santa, a 64-year-old effort to make Christmas brighter for underprivileged children.

And 8-year-old Alex Fonseca did his part to spread holiday cheer on the night before Christmas.

The North Hills boy collected more than 100 Beanie Babies for patients at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, hospital officials said.

For many volunteers at the Los Angeles Mission, which included several celebrities, helping others was also a reminder of their good fortune.

“We could be one moment away from being in that line instead of this line,” said actor Henry Winkler as he dished up corn, pointing to the people lined up for food. “It’s really important never to forget that. Being lucky means just that we are in a position to help serve.”

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Times staff writer Karima A. Haynes contributed to this story.