On December 23, 2020, BAPS Charities provided Midnight Mission on Skid Row in Downtown LA with 1000 hot meals and 50,000 masks as a means to support those who are especially vulnerable during this pandemic.
Globally, COVID-19 has tremendously impacted the lives of those who endure financial instability and homelessness. As BAPS Charities embodies the motto, “The Spirit of Service” numerous volunteers united to provide support through donations. As a part of a month-long focus on food insecurity and hunger perpetuated by the pandemic, BAPS Charities mobilized food donations to homeless shelters, food banks, and low-income housing in the Los Angeles area.
Andrew Linares, Volunteer Manager for the Midnight Mission joined BAPS Charities to receive the donation. “These donations that we get, whether it’s 20 a dozen sack lunches, or 1000 meals helps a lot so that we can continue to feed our community on a daily basis. This has been our number one concern since the onset of the pandemic. We are making sure that we are still keeping our emergency services for our Skid Row community, which is very important to us because we’ve been doing it for over 100 years.”
Midnight Mission is dedicated to providing a support system to individuals who face homelessness on Skid Row as they believe that every person deserves to live with stability. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many members of the community, including BAPS Charities, have offered their support to help promote Midnight Mission’s goals.
Mr. Linares continued expressing his gratitude and said, “The minute that the coronavirus pandemic hit, we weren’t sure what was going to happen. We weren’t sure if we were going to stay open at all. We were afraid of even shutting down the meal services because we haven’t done so since 1914. Luckily, we have been blessed and have been taken care of by volunteer organizations, like BAPS Charities.”
During this difficult time, BAPS Charities continues to provide utmost support towards local communities and lend a hand in the form of relief. BAPS Charities and its volunteers continue to expand their philanthropic activities as they aid those impacted by these devastating times.
