HOLLYWOOD HOLY HOUSES WELCOME ILM (INTELLECT, LOVE, MERCY) FOUNDATION IN GOAL TO #FEED1000 CHRISTMAS DAY

NEW DATE: Tuesday December 25th XMAS DAY

HOLLYWOOD – John Rosove, Senior Rabbi at Temple Israel of Hollywood, and Reverend Kathy Cooper Ledesma, at Hollywood United Methodist Church, today announce a new partner in, and goal for, the free Christmas meal they have hosted for their Hollywood community for the last thirty years.  The new community partner is ILM Foundation’s Umar Hakim, of Humanitarian Day http://www.humanitarianday.com/ , a South LA based organizer and native of Compton where, incidentally, he was raised Episcopalian http://bit.ly/2AtMuMm .  The three leaders also today share a new goal for the dinner: to serve roast turkey with all the trimmings to a thousand people.  The dinner will take place from 11am-4pm Monday, December 25 at Hollywood United Methodist Church, at the corner of Highland and Franklin.  Santa will give away toys for children and personal care items for adults.  All are welcome.

In recent years the congregations have served about 600 people on Christmas Day.  Last year, the dinner fed over 800.

“It’s obvious to anyone who lives, works, drives in our beautiful city that there are many brothers and sisters in need” said Hakim.  “This is why, together, my friends at Temple Israel of Hollywood and at Hollywood United Methodist Church and I hope our invitation to Christmas dinner reaches as many as possible.  For this reason we turn to social media with our goal to #Feed1000.”

Said Rabbi Rosove: “Our congregation recently signed a Brit Olam, or covenant with our world, via the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, to meet ‘the urgency of now.’  With Reverend Ledesma, we embrace and welcome our brother Umar Hakim of the ILM Foundation to strategically help those included in the 23% spike in homeless people with which LA is currently faced (http://lat.ms/2rF1bLy ). Right now we focus our efforts on one sacred day; our efforts towards a more just and equal world remain evergreen.”

Said Reverend Ledesma: “My friends Umar and John and I are laser-focused on reaching our goal to #Feed1000.  Today we ask not for your financial support, or for more food, because we have all that covered.  Instead, we ask for your support as neighbors, to reach out and spread our invitation to Christmas dinner to those in your orbit who might not otherwise hear of it.”

Volunteers are welcome but spots are limited and advanced sign up is required.  Please visit www.tioh.org for more information.