Five Acres Auxiliary volunteer group assemble 60 Easter baskets for the children living on the residential campus in Altadena. Photo courtesy of Five Acres.
Through the year, Five Acres volunteers support the kids living in its residential campus and families served by various programs. Since we have been sheltering in place as of mid-March, the agency’s volunteers have continued to share their support.
Mimi Carter, co-president of The Children’s Guild and the board of directors, donated cupcakes and a ham to each children’s cottage for an Easter celebration. In addition, the Auxiliary members assembled 60 Easter baskets for each child to delight in these treats. A significant donation that speaks volumes, the gifts shower Five Acres children with love.
Some pre-pandemic memorable outings for the children have included bowling and Descanso Gardens, where they get to be among nature. “I have been able to introduce Five Acres children to the beauty of nature and the joy of caring for a garden,” said Florence Nelson, who has been a Five Acres volunteer since 2016 and also volunteers in the education programs at Descanso Gardens. During pandemic times, the residential children are enjoying and making good use of arts and crafts, games and electronic donations that volunteers have helped facilitate to ensure both educational and therapeutic activities continue.
Many of the Five Acres families are also struggling financially and are experiencing food insecurity. With support from Trader Joe’s, who donated store gift cards, Five Acres families were able to fill their refrigerator with essentials. Helping families fill their cupboards is the community of St. Peter’s Italian Catholic Church in Los Angeles, who assembled 74 bags of perishable and nonperishable food for Five Acres clinicians to deliver to the agency’s families. Baby2Baby, a nonprofit that provides basic needs for children living in poverty, ages 0-12, also donated diapers, wipes, and bundles of age appropriate essentials for families in need.
For these volunteers seeing the smiles on the children’s faces and giving families some relief are motivations that keep them sharing their time and talent. While we continue to shelter in place, there is no stopping Five Acres volunteers. Each one is committed to being present in the children’s lives so they know some grown-ups are looking out for them and care about them.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities or to make a tribute donation in honor of National Volunteer Month, visit www.5acres.org/volunteer-tribute.
About Five Acres
Since 1888, Five Acres has protected the most vulnerable members of our community: children. Serving more than 10,000 children and family members annually across six counties, Five Acres now strives for permanency—a permanent, loving home—for all children in their care. The three pillars of safety, well-being and permanency provide the framework for its programs and guide the steps as the agency develops even more effective means of caring for children and families in crisis. Visit 5acres.org.
