Posted in Around Town

ECPAC: Friends in Deed

Wow, I had a busy weekend. My friend Catheryn J. Brockett is involved with a volunteer group called Century of Compassion, and a group of ’em were at the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches (ECPAC) this past weekend to do some painting. ECPAC is better known as Friends in Deed (though technically Friends in Deed is a project of ECPAC).

Catheryn, like any true artist, wants to get it right. So she brings her own edger to these painting shindigs.

Catheryn and Alvin Paolo (sorry, dude!).  (See how Alvin Paolo put his arm behind himself for the photo? The Scout will tell you – portraits of people look better without floppy arms. Alvin posed correctly with no prompting from your truly.)

Pastor Pat O’Reilly, the Executive Director of Friends in Deed, was kind enough to show me around and tell me about the all the good things they are doing. On Friday, the nice folks from Nestle painted this part of the building. The area to the right is where a washer and dryer are being installed.

There’s Pastor Pat with David Gooler, who I know from the trenches of PTA at Washington Middle School. David installed the washer and dryer.

Friends in Deed now has a program called The Women’s Room that was developed by All Saints’ Women’s Issues Committee. It’s a twice-a-week drop in program that provides women with access to a shower, a washer and dryer, telephone and a computer, and even a place to nap. Awesome.

Friends in Deed has also started a vegetable garden.

They even have a portable lettuce patch thanks to local Boy Scouts. Why portable? Because they need their parking spots too.

There are many ways to be involved with Friends in Deed, and you can read about them here.

A big THANK YOU to all who went here and left a comment supporting the idea of giving my friend Adela a much needed infusion of cash. Alas, they’ve chosen Flashes of Hope.

AP birthday bash photos… Continue reading “ECPAC: Friends in Deed”