Men on a mission

Delivering goods and goodwill to the homeless



WARM WISHES— Above, materials are delivered to the Fred Jordan Missions shelter. At left, George Annino, left, Ralph Boulware and Steve Bonifede are renewing their annual effort to deliver turkey, books and sleeping bags to the needy in Los Angeles in time for Thanksgiving.

WARM WISHES— Above, materials are delivered to the Fred Jordan Missions shelter. At left, George Annino, left, Ralph Boulware and Steve Bonifede are renewing their annual effort to deliver turkey, books and sleeping bags to the needy in Los Angeles in time for Thanksgiving.

Three local men, Steve Bonifede, Ralph Boulware and George Annino, founder of the Santa Comes to Agoura charity, are renewing their annual effort to collect donations for Fred Jordan Missions as Thanksgiving approaches.

The men are seeking the community’s help in buying sleeping bags that will be delivered to the mission Fri., Nov. 25.

For nearly 30 years, Annino, an Oak Park resident, logged thousands of hours with the Santa Comes to Agoura and Beyond food drive to make sure families wouldn’t go hungry during the holidays. He handed the reins of the operation to the Westlake Junior Women’s Club about five years ago, but he’s still committed to spreading goodwill.

Each December, Annino, Boulware and Bonifede deliver a truckload of turkeys, books and sleeping bags to two institutions in downtown Los Angeles.

Turkeys bought with donations from friends and parishioners of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village will be delivered to St. Michael’s Catholic School on Nov. 17.

The school is part of St. Michael’s Parish, a sister congregation to St. Max.

Additional turkeys donated by Costco, along with the sleeping bags, will be brought to the Fred Jordan Missions in the heart of L.A. the day after Thanksgiving.

According to the mission, which serves 500 to 1,000 homeless people each day, there are more than 53,000 homeless men, women and children in Los Angeles County.

Annino said Fred Jordan Missions helps out everyone regardless of religious beliefs and the organization makes sure the people who come in are truly in need and not taking advantage of the services provided.

A contribution of $25 will provide a sleeping bag for a homeless person.

People can also donate new sleeping bags if they choose, but used goods will not be accepted.

“People’s hearts are in the right place, but we prefer to buy brand-new sleeping bags,” Aninno said. “It’s enough that homeless people go through tough times, so they should get something brand new. It helps to make them feel good about themselves.”

He said he hopes to collect at least 200 sleeping bags this year.

Checks should be made payable to George Annino and mailed to 6602 Maplegrove St., Oak Park, CA 91377.

People can also buy new sleeping bags and drop them off at Annino’s house or call him at (818) 991-1732 for more information.

Contributions are tax-deductible, and 100 percent of all donations will be used to buy sleeping bags.


Photos by SYLVIE BEMOND/Acorn Newspapers

Photos by SYLVIE BEMOND/Acorn Newspapers

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