Friends In Deed

Ecumenical Council Pasadena Area Congregations

Who We Are

The Pantry

Bad Weather Shelter

The Women’s Room

Homeless Prevention

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Friends In Deed - ECPAC
A trusted community leader
striving to reduce poverty and homelessness in the Pasadena area.

Who we are

About Friends In Deed • Board of Directors/Staff • Pressroom

Friends In Deed:
Improving the quality of life for low income and homeless individuals and families

In Northwest Pasadena hunger is on the rise, as food and transportation costs increase. Those with limited incomes feel squeezed. With nothing else to cut out of their budgets, families reduce the purchase of food.
• In Northwest Pasadena the median family income is $27,350.
• Forty percent of families with children below 5 years of age live below the federal poverty level.
• 62% of families are among the working poor.
Children, the disabled and the elderly suffer the most when resources are scarce.

Homelessness is another problem in Pasadena. The Official Homeless Count of 2010 in Pasadena found that 1137 homeless adults and children live on the streets on a given day.
Because of high rents, unemployment and other social problems, many fall into homelessness through eviction. One out of 146 people in Pasadena is homeless!

Despite the increasing struggle to get by, low income and homeless Pasadena know they are not without support. They have at their side, Friends In Deed.

WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT POVERTY
The purpose of Friends In Deed is to provide basic services to improve the quality of life for low income and homeless people. As a 501(c)3 congregation- and community-supported organization, ECPAC responds to the needs of low-income persons in the community.

HOW DO WE BRING ABOUT LONG TERM CHANGE IN OUR COMMUNITY?

ECPAC/Friends In Deed continually advocates for justice
in the areas of homelessness, housing and other issues affecting those with limited resources. We work together with grassroots and government organizations on
behalf of the members of our community.

WHAT MAKES FRIENDS IN DEED UNIQUE?

Friends In Deed facilitates religious and community partnerships to provide coordinated and effective social service to those in need. An outreach of Pasadena area congregations, Friends In Deed has established relationships within the religious community, with other community agencies, business and the government. Our motto is “Doing together what we cannot do alone.”

Board of Directors and Staff

Board of Directors 2010

Rev. Inman Moore, retired pastor, United Methodist Church
Rev. Bill Backstrom, retired pastor, Disciples of Christ
Edward Vidimos, businessman, member of Assumption of the BVM
The Rev. Canon Colville Smythe, President, Rector Emeritus, St. Mark’s Church
Dr. Jeanette Mann, Vice President, President City College Trustees
Michelle Gavigan, Treasurer, CPA, Gavigan and Associates
Katherine Ellis, Secretary, retired Teacher
Dr. Nicholas Benson, President of the IMA; Pastor, Summit Evangelical Church
Rev. Dr. Donna Byrns, Pastor, Church of Truth
Elwood Hain, retired Professor of Law, Whittier College
Pamela Marx, Staff Attorney, Mental Health Advocacy Services
The Rev. Dr. Ellen Wekall, Clinical Psychologist, Assisting Pastor, Tujunga

Administrative Staff
The Rev. Patricia O’Reilly, Executive Director

Program Staff
Alyssa Crawford, pantry director
Corinne Kershaw, Homeless Prevention Services and Bookkeeper
Marlene Martinez, Homeless Prevention Services
Andrew Wright, Homeless Prevention Services, Shelter Volunteer Coordinator
Jackie Knowles, The Women’s Room, Coordinator
Natalie Lambert, VISTA, Development Associate
David Kotce, Bad Weather Shelter, Director

Pressroom

About The Women’s Room Quilting Project, August 12 ,2010 http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_15733137

Petra Burchard’s Blog on The Women’s Room, August 17, 2010: http://pasadenadailyphoto.blogspot.com/

About the Bishop Gooden School Garden Program for Friends In Deed Pantry, Episcopal Life Online, May 5, 2010
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81803_122063_ENG_HTM.htm.

About the Homeless Count and the Bad Weather Shelter, Pasadena Star News, January 31, 2010 http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/rds_search/ci_14314330

About the Pantry, Pasadena Star News, Sunday, November 1, 2009
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_13634099

See Patt Diroll's article on May 18, 2010 about our Women Helping Women Fundraiser in the Pasadena Star News:
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/diroll/ci_15107307

About the Homeless Count and the Bad Weather Shelter, Pasadena Star News, January 31, 2010 http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/rds_search/ci_14314330

About the Pantry, Pasadena Star News, Sunday, November 1, 2009
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_13634099

About the Bad Weather Shelter and Homelessness, Cover Article,
Pasadena Weekly, Thursday, February 26, 2009.
http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/sheltered_lives/6947/

About The Homeless Count, Pasadena Star News, March 4, 2009
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_11839058

About Our ECPAC/Bad Weather Shelter Fundraiser, Pasadena Star News, Dec. 3, 2008
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_11125087

About Jackie Knowles, being our Volunteer of the year, Pasadena Journal, page 10.
http://www.pasadenajournal.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/11-27.pdf

Check out the great article about The Women's Room in the July 24 issue of The Journal!
http://www.pasadenajournal.com/id90.html

July 22, 2008 Pasadena Star News: The Cupboard is Bare. Lead article
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_9955190

July 14, 2008 Pasadena Star-News Friends in Deed expands
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_9883066

July 18, 2008 The Pasadena Star News
Check out the scoop on our camp program!
Photo Gallery: Friends In Deed Sends Kids to Camp PASADENA - Twenty- one excited local children left Friday for five days of fun at the Circle V Ranch Camp near Santa Barbara, through a program sponsored by Friends In Deed, which helps needy families in Pasadena. For most of the children - ages 7 to 14 - it was their first opportunity to attend summer camp.
Rosie Cazares, a fifth- grader at Franklin Elementary School in Altadena, said she was "excited" but was unsure of what to expect from her first camping trip. The students will return Wednesday. - Sarah Reingewirtz
(c) 2008 Pasadena Star-News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.