Good Works in South Pasadena

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The birdhouse library at Calvary Presbyterian in South Pasadena (Photo – Melanie Hooks)

South Pasadena residents and businesses have stepped up in inspiring and unexpected ways to help during the Covid-19 public health crisis.

By Marina Khubesrian

Here are just a few of our notable community contributions:

– 1000 masks

Ellen’s Silkscreening has been a vital member of the South Pasadena business community for over 40 years. When president and owner Ellen Daigle learned of the many who were making masks, she decided to join the efforts. Ellen contacted her sister Bonnie Saland; Bonnie’s company, Philomenia, manufactures beautiful fabrics designed by her. So far, Ellen and Bonnie have made over 1000 masks using Bonnie’s fabrics.

Ellen also contacted Sherry Plotkin of the Women’s Club of South Pasadena to ask if their members would help make masks. Since then Liz Calvert and other members have been sewing daily, and member Anne Bagasao has taken on the task of fulfillment and distribution of the masks. The team produced 300 masks within the week for donation.

Ellen, a former nurse, will continue to sew masks for donation, but her next project is to make more attractive masks as thank you gifts for nurses at Huntington Memorial Hospital to wear when they are not working.

– No cost room stays for frontliners

Bissell House Bed & Breakfast has quickly repurposed the property, in cooperation with Huntington Hospital, to provide no cost room stays for the front line ICU and emergency room physicians working punishing hours, often for days at a time.

– Grants

South Pasadena Rotary Club has provided 10 grants for struggling local restaurants.

– Weekly bags of groceries

Holy Family Catholic Church Giving Bank has provided more than 150 bags of groceries weekly to community members in need.

– Serving the homeless population

The Shower of Hope takes care of the hygiene and shower needs of the homeless. Community volunteer, Rona Bortz, makes sure the SOH is up and running every Wednesday morning in the Holy Family Church parking lot in South Pasadena.

– Daily lunches to seniors

Senior Meals on Wheels of South Pasadena Community Services delivers 60-80 hot lunches to seniors daily. The staff includes notes and artwork from local children in the delivery bags to brighten their day.

– Milestone birthdays

South Pasadena Fire Department helps make milestone birthdays a little more special by driving by in a fire truck and making some noise in front of the child’s house.

– Free grocery and prescription pickup

Girl Friday assistants offer free grocery and prescription pickup errands for seniors in the San Gabriel Valley. Owner and community volunteer Cindi Knight also has sourced timely resources for those looking for affordable estate planning, free coaching for individuals struggling with feeling overwhelmed, and virtual assistants to help make major milestones and celebrations during shelter-in-place memorable. Contact girlfridaysouthpasadena@gmail.com.

Donations from the South Pasadena Chinese American Association (Photo – Eric Fabbro)

– 2750 surgical masks, 1500 gloves,105 protective clothing and 90 sanitizers

South Pasadena Chinese American Association parents set up a fundraiser and acquired protective equipment for donation to USC hospital and frontline responders. Community organizer Melissa Cheng and five volunteers delivered protective equipment to the South Pasadena police and fire officers in time for relieving an immediate urgency. Supplies included 2750 surgical masks, 1500 gloves,105 sets of protective clothing and 90 bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

– Grocery and prescription pick up

South Pasadena Volunteer Grocery Shoppers help the homebound and seniors with grocery and prescription pick up. Community volunteers Andrew Burk and Ed Donnelly formed a team of volunteers in mid-March to help high risk neighbors stay at home. They now have 142 volunteers signed up to make deliveries of groceries and medications to seniors, those who are immune-compromised, parents of special needs children, single parents with young children at home and families of ER healthcare workers. Burk describes a recent experience volunteer shopping for a neighbor with his wife Gabriela, “One neighbor was waiting expectantly in her home window and as I approached her doorstep to put the bag of groceries on her doorstep (with a requested couple roles of quarters so she could do her laundry there). I noticed that I had never seen her before or even knew she was in our community. It is incredibly humbling to know we live with so many folks in our town whom we didn’t even know were there, and who may need a little extra help and care. We are fortunate to be in a position to help.”

Making Masks (Photo – Ellen Daigle)

It is truly inspiring to see so many in the South Pasadena community engaged in helping others. These are the stories that we will remember most from this time.

Marina Khubesrian, M.D. is a Councilmember and former Mayor of the City of South Pasadena.