The Los Angeles Mission, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2011, will join with celebrities when it serves more than 3,000 meals, provide nearly 1,000 Easter baskets with toys for the kids, and washes the feet of the homeless on Good Friday.
Celebrities and political leaders will be among hundreds of volunteers who will serve the meal, and perform foot washing. Scheduled to appear: Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy), Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Councilman Bernard Parks, and others.
Over 2,000 pairs of new shoes will be distributed. Etnies, the world’s leading Action Sports footwear and apparel manufacturer, is donating the shoes, and will have staff on hand to ensure a proper fit for everyone. The Los Angeles Christian Health Centers uses this opportunity to address the foot problems suffered by many on the streets of Skid Row.
Easter Week foot washing is a Christian tradition – memorializing that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples the night before he was crucified. Many who are on the streets seldom have normal loving human contact – and this outreach of food, foot washing with podiatric care and new shoes is a way of inviting them to learn about the Mission’s services, including its long term program of restoration – in order to get off the streets permanently.
The event takes place at the LA Mission at 5th and Wall Street on April 22 from 11am. More celebrities to be announced.
