Cardinal, volunteers bring cheer to needy families

On the morning of Sat., Dec. 18, Cardinal Roger Mahony blessed donated food, toys, blankets and clothing as well as the volunteers who were to help deliver these items to 250 low-income families in downtown Los Angeles as part of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels’ annual Adopt-A-Family Christmas Outreach Program.

Following a briefing and prayer service, Cardinal Mahony and the volunteers departed from the cathedral at 555 W. Temple St. to distribute the packages to families in need, many of them occupying single rooms in apartments and hotels in areas near the cathedral.

Cathedral volunteers had previously visited homes in the downtown area to meet families and enroll them to receive Christmas packages, making sure that the gifts contained in each package would be age-appropriate and that the clothing would be the correct size.