DAILY NEWS PEOPLE : MIKE BRANAM.Byline: - Sharon Cotal After working a 12-hour graveyard shift graveyard shift n. 1. A work shift that runs during the early morning hours, as from midnight to 8 a.m. 2. The workers on such a shift. Noun 1. , most people would just want to go home and fall into bed. But Mike Branam has other plans when he gets off work at 9 a.m. He goes straight to the Reseda Vons store, where he collects food that the supermarket can no longer sell because the expiration date Expiration Date The day on which an options or futures contract is no longer valid and, therefore, ceases to exist. Notes: The expiration date for all listed stock options in the U.S. on it has passed. Then he distributes the food to various churches, homeless shelters Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people. Usually located in urban neighborhoods, they are similar to emergency shelters. The primary difference is that homeless shelters are usually open to anyone, without regard to the reason for need. and group homes in the area. ``People say I feed the homeless or the poor,'' Branam said. ``But I say I feed the needy - and anyone can be needy. I can't help people with their rent or other expenses, but I can provide them with food so that they can pay those other things and maybe get back on their feet.'' Branam says he is just doing what he can to wipe out hunger in his little part of the world. And he won't rest until he has done everything he can to help. AGE: 52 RESIDENCE: Lake View Terrace BORN AND RAISED IN: Born in Mobile, Ala ALA aminolevulinic acid. Ala alanine. ala (a´lah) pl. a´lae [L.] a winglike process. ., and raised in Florida. He moved to the Valley in 1976. OCCUPATION: Stage technician Noun 1. stage technician - an employee of a theater who performs work involved in putting on a theatrical production stagehand stage crew - crew of workers who move scenery or handle properties in a theatrical production for ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , currently working on the set of ``General Hospital.'' MARITAL STATUS marital status, n the legal standing of a person in regard to his or her marriage state. : Married to Kathryn for 15 years. CHILDREN: Laura Lee, 30; Michele and Richele, 27; Toby, 15; Cassaundra, 13; and Richard, 12. VOLUNTEERISM vol·un·teer·ism n. Use of or reliance on volunteers, especially to perform social or educational work in communities. volunteerism : Branam works with a program called Share, which operates out of the Church of the Foothills in Sylmar. He collects food from Vons and uses monetary donations to purchase food at L.I.F.E. (Love Is Feeding Everyone,) a food bank in Hawthorne. Some of the food is distributed at 9 a.m. every Wednesday at the church, providing for 30 to 40 families. Branam also takes food to the Valley Shelter in North Hollywood, where it is used to serve hot meals daily in the dining room. At New Horizons, a home for the mentally handicapped in North Hills, Branam provides food for the cafeteria cafeteria: see restaurant. . He also takes food to Hathaway Home for Children, a home and school for displaced displaced see displacement. children in Sylmar, and he makes sure every child there who is celebrating a birthday gets a cake. Once a week, he gives a load of food to a friend who takes it to a shelter in Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, . ``Some foods I get so much of that I share it with other organizations, and then they share their resources with me,'' Branam said. ``That's how the program got its name.'' HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED?: ``My wife started helping out at a food pantry they had at this little Lutheran church we attended in Sylmar. I started helping her now and then, and now I just do it all by myself. When we moved to another church, the program moved with us. And it has really grown over the years because, instead of going out and buying things, I get stores to donate things. I've collected from Vons, Frito Lay, Sam's Club Sam's Club is a membership-only warehouse club owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. History The first Sam's Club opened in April 1983 in Midwest City, Oklahoma in the United States.[1] Sam's Club is named after Sam Walton. , Food 4 Less, just whoever I can get things from.'' WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER?: ``I used to watch my wife at the food pantry and think, `Why does she do that?' But once you start helping people, it feels so good that you don't want to stop. And now I feel like if I didn't do it, it wouldn't get done. If something were to happen to me, I'm not sure the food would get to the people who need it.'' BIGGEST DILEMMA: ``Getting people to donate food and money to the program. Actually we prefer cash donations because I can go to the food bank and get food for 11 cents a pound. If people would just donate what they would normally spend on a cup of coffee each day, we could feed several people with that.'' MOST DIFFICULT DAILY TASK: ``Boxing up the breads and things when I pick them up. When I get there, everything is just thrown into shopping carts. I have to put the things I take in boxes and load it all up into my van. It takes time because I don't want the bread to get smashed. I want it to be in good condition when I give it to people.'' FAVORITE DAILY TASK: ``Going to New Horizons, because every time I go there, they are always in such a good mood, and they really make me feel welcome. Those are the nicest people in the world, and they make me look at life a whole lot different.'' BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: ``The saddest thing is that so much food is thrown away by the grocery stores. They are worried about liability because the food is out of code. But they really shouldn't be worried, because California has great good Samaritan laws Good Samaritan laws Forensic medicine Legislation tailored to each jurisdiction, for health care professionals and citizens who provide emergency medical care in 'good faith', and act to help a person needing medical attention. See Herd mentality. so the stores are protected. And I've never had any problems with any of the food that I've collected.'' GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: ``That the program is still in existence. People say they are amazed a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. that I keep coming back. Most people do this for a few months and give up because they get burned out. And there have been times I've wanted to quit, too, but I know these people depend on me, and I'm all they've got.'' WHO RELIES ON YOU THE MOST AND WHO YOU RELY ON: ``There are several organizations that rely on me to bring them food, and I rely on Vons to supply the food and church members to donate money. Also, there's a post office food drive coming up (May 8) and the Studio City Post Office gives me all the food they collect. I usually get about 10,000 pounds of food from them every year, and that lasts about four months.'' HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?: ``Success, to me, is how many lives you touch in your lifetime. I don't think it's wealth. There are a lot of people who are wealthy, but I'm not sure I'd want to be in their shoes. It's doing good that matters - being able to look back and see that you made a difference.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Mike Branam Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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