BOUNTIFUL FEASTING FOR THE NEEDY : VALLEY EVENTS TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO GIVE.Byline: Elizabeth Aguilera Daily News Staff Writer Dressed in brightly decorated paper bags and feathers, students at Valley Beth Shalom Valley Beth Shalom is a Conservative Synagogue in Encino, Los Angeles, California. With over 1,800 member families[1] it is one of the largest synagogues in Los Angeles and one of the largest Conservative synagogues in the United States. Day School put on their annual Thanksgiving show and feast Wednesday. Between bites of kosher turkey, stuffing and yams, 5-year-old Aviv Gilboa said, ``Thanksgiving is about pilgrims . . . they made corn.'' The show celebrated the school's efforts in raising more than $2,000 to help feed about 1,400 homeless people at the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Mission. For example, every Friday, 11-year-old Michelle Gorman brought 50 cents to school for the fund-raising campaign Noun 1. fund-raising campaign - a campaign to raise money for some cause fund-raising drive, fund-raising effort crusade, campaign, cause, drive, effort, movement - a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end; "he supported . ``Twenty-five cents was my money and 25 cents was from my parents,'' said the smiling sixth-grader after the Thanksgiving show. ``It helps people who need money and need food.'' Students, staff and parents at the Encino school were not the only ones donating money and food and celebrating this holiday season. Across the Southland and in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , fund-raising organizations and kitchens worked overtime to feed thousands. In North Hills, volunteers from Monroe High school For other uses, see James Monroe High School. Monroe High School may refer to:
The largest services Wednesday took place along Skid Row skid row a run-down area frequented by alcoholics. [Am. Culture: Misc.] See : Alcoholism Skid Row district of down-and-outs and bums. [Am. Usage: Brewer Dictionary, 1008] See : Failure in downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or , where the Union Rescue Mission The Union Rescue Mission (URM) is a private, Christian, homeless shelter in downtown Los Angeles's skid row. It is the largest, private, homeless shelter in the United States. and the Los Angeles Mission dished dished adj. 1. Concave. 2. Slanting toward one another at the bottom. Used of a pair of wheels. Adj. 1. dished - shaped like a dish or pan dish-shaped, patelliform concave - curving inward up turkey with all the trimmings to an estimated 8,000 homeless people. This year, the Union Rescue Mission moved their holiday dinner and party to the day before Thanksgiving so more people could participate. About 150 volunteers helped serve dinner outdoors on San Julian Street between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. In all, the food included 350 turkeys, 4,800 cans of soda, 4,800 slices of pie, 300 gallons of gravy and 900 pounds of yams, mashed potatoes n. pl. 1. Potatoes which have been boiled and mashed to a pulpy consistency, usu. with sparing addition of milk, salt, butter, or other flavoring. It is a popular accompaniment to a meat course [U.S., 1900's], providing bulk and calories to a meal. and vegetables. The scene was similar at the Los Angeles Mission on Fifth Street, where volunteers served the homeless 5,000 pounds of turkey, 600 pumpkin pies, 450 pounds of corn and green beans green beans Noun, pl long narrow green beans that are cooked and eaten as a vegetable , and 20,000 rolls. Both events included entertainment, live music and celebrity visits. ``I think for a lot of celebrities and volunteers, it has become a traditional thing for them to help out because it makes a difference in their own holiday,'' said Mike Edwards, president of the Los Angeles Mission. ``It's also good for those being served because it gives them an opportunity to express their burdens,'' he added. ``Thanksgiving can be a lonely time for people on the street and to talk to someone who will listen, it may take away some of that loneliness.'' Other fund-raisers at the Valley Beth Shalom Day School in Encino included a collection drive of 700 cans of tuna for the Front Line Foundation, which feeds the homeless on Skid Row, and more than 100 stuffed animals for Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children, said Joyce Black, director of the general studies at the school. ``Being a Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide Jewish children with both a Jewish and a secular education in one , we want our children here to know that we care about everyone and we want everyone to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving,'' she said. ``Every Friday we collect Sedaka (a Hebrew term for charity). We encourage them to earn what they give.'' In addition to the holiday season, each classroom in the school holds charity drives year-round. For example, one kindergarten class is collecting money for seeing-eye dogs. In preparation for the Thanksgiving show the students practiced their songs and dances, and made holiday decorations. Thanksgiving crafts decorated the walls and paper turkeys sat as centerpieces on dining tables. During the show, fifth-graders presented a consortium of different cultures to show how Thanksgiving represents what other cultures have given to America, said fifth-grade teacher Bracha Rappaport. They performed an Irish dance Irish dances come in several forms, which can broadly be divided into social dances and performance dances. Irish social dancing can be divided further into céilí and set dancing. , a Chinese ribbon dance, a Mexican dance and a traditional Romanian Harvest Dance. ``This goes along with the unit they are studying in history and Judaic studies,'' said Rappaport. ``They are studying why Jews came here and they found it was a lot of the same reasons others came to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. .'' Kevin Taban, 11 who played a part in the Mexican dance said, ``It was about how different cultures came to America and what they did and how we carried on.'' He also said he is thankful for Mother Nature ``because that is why we have trees and we get food from there.'' Parent volunteers buzzed around the students with cameras during the show and while they enjoyed their Thanksgiving feast. ``It's important that they celebrate our nation,'' said Patti Goldberg of Calabasas, who has a fourth- and a fifth-grader at the school. ``It's an important goal of the school to make the children remember everyone else. Sedaka is an important concept here.'' Another parent, Charles Levy of Tarzana, took the morning off to participate in the event with his child. ``The fund-raising teaches them to give charity at a young age,'' he said. Groups to serve annual feasts Here is a list of Thanksgiving meals being offered today. The Midnight Mission, 396 S. Los Angeles St., will serve its 82nd annual Thanksgiving dinner at 11 a.m. Pacoima Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (abbreviated "Adventist"[2]) is a Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance of Saturday, the "seventh day" of the week, as the Sabbath. , 11350 Glenoaks Blvd., will serve dinner from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. San Fernando Elks Lodge 1539, 804 Pico St. in San Fernando, will serve dinner from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The Union Rescue Mission at 545 S. San Pedro St. in Los Angeles will serve dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Osborne Neighborhood Church, 13501 Osborne St. in Arleta, will serve dinner from 1 to 5 p.m. The Salvation Army will serve dinners at the following locations: The Glendale Corps. Community Center, 320 W. Windsor Road in Glendale, will serve 300 meals from noon to 2 p.m. The Tabernacle Tabernacle (tăb`ərnăk'əl), in the Bible, the portable holy place of the Hebrews during their desert wanderings. It was a tent, like the portable tent-shrines used by ancient Semites, set up in each camp; eventually it housed the Ark Corps., 960 E. Walnut St. in Pasadena, will serve 450 meals from noon to 2 p.m. The Bell Shelter, 5600 Rickenbacker Road in Bell, will serve 350 meals from 5 to 7 p.m. The Compton Corps., 736 E. Compton Blvd., will serve 300 meals from 10 a.m. to noon. CAPTION(S): 4 Photos, Box Photo: (1--color) Bill Broen and Pauline Behrens serve turkey dinners to the homeless at the United Methodist Church of Sepulveda. Terri Thuente/Daily News (2) Alexandra Cherry and Jonathan Malsman dance during a pre-Thanksgiving celebration at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino on Wednesday. (3) Kindergartners Moria Frankle and Ariela Wenger flank sixth-grader Brynn Peskin as the three enjoy a holiday school performance. (4) First-graders treat parents, staff and fellow students to a very special rendition of ``What a Wonderful World.'' Myung J. Chun/Daily News Box: Groups to serve annual feasts (see text) |
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