Los Angeles, CA, June 1, 2010 – The Salvation Army’s Bell Shelter, which offers transitional care and social services for up to 350 homeless men and women annually, will receive a much-deserved facelift on Thursday, June 3. The event celebrates a three-year relationship with ARAMARK, a global provider of professional services. The continuing relationship aids The Salvation Army’s Southern California Division in bridging the gap left by homelessness, addiction and unemployment through ARAMARK Building Community, a company-wide philanthropic and volunteer program that is a call-to-action to help community centers positively impact families and neighborhoods. ARAMARK Building Community will reach more than 40 cities by the end of 2010.
More than 125 ARAMARK employees will dedicate their time, energy and talents to enhance the indoor and outdoor campus of Bell Shelter at 5600 Rickenbacker in Bell. Volunteers will complete 20 enhancement projects creating a more vibrant, safe and inspiring environment for community members who use the facilities. The signature project is the revitalization of the Bell Shelter Workforce Clothing Room through the creation of a more organized and welcoming space for residents to “shop” for clothing. Employees will hold a clothing drive to provide additional work clothes for residents.
Other projects include painting a variety of inspirational panel murals to hang throughout the facility; general interior painting to brighten residential areas; construction of storage units, shelves and picnic benches; landscaping the outside area with new flower beds; and the creation of a butterfly garden.
“The tough economic times have hit us hard. In-kind donations are down at Bell Shelter and all of The Salvation Army locations in Los Angeles are suffering from a decline in funding. In fact, we’re seeing approximately half as many donations as in previous years. Therefore, the enhancement of our facilities has taken a distant second to addressing the most basic needs of our community,” said Bell Shelter Executive Director La Rae Neal. “ARAMARK’s support is providing a critical service and will bring a breath of fresh air to our organization which instills hope in our community.”
ARAMARK Building Community leverages the skills and expertise of the company’s employee volunteers to help neighborhood centers implement solutions for some of the most important issues. The program fosters long-term support by lending its workforce-related skills training expertise to help educate and connect youth and adults to the workforce, provide health and wellness awareness information so families can live healthier lifestyles and support access to basic human needs.
“The well being of our neighbors is a priority for ARAMARK. We are expanding our work with The Salvation Army to address the community’s most basic needs such as homelessness, hunger, and overcoming addiction,” said Thomas Vozzo, president, ARAMARK Uniform and Career Apparel and member of The Salvation Army of Southern California’s Division’s Board of Directors. “An important way we help is by leveraging the diverse skills of our employees to make a larger, lasting impact in community centers like Bell Shelter, and we are very proud of our association with The Salvation Army.”
Estimates show that more than 50 percent of men and women living on the streets suffer from mental illnesses and addictions. Regionally, Bell Shelter is a one-stop solution to the homeless condition by addressing the problems and barriers that keep the homeless population from achieving self-sufficiency. In 2009, Bell Shelter placed 180 patrons in jobs and ARAMARK will help increase the shelter’s impact on the community this year.
Over the past two years, ARAMARK has worked alongside the Salvation Army of Southern California to strengthen neighborhoods. ARAMARK volunteers have transformed The Salvation Army Red Shield Youth and Community Center and the Whittier/Santa Fe Springs Transitional Living Center and provided Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings to thousands of families in the Los Angeles area.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 129 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
About ARAMARK Building Community
ARAMARK Building Community enriches the lives of families in need by supporting local community centers to help people of all generations learn, earn and thrive. ARAMARK recognizes the important role community centers play in addressing the comprehensive needs of individuals and families and is providing a range of resources including grants, volunteers and in-kind contributions. Through ARAMARK Building Community, volunteers will use their expertise to help youth and adults develop critical, employable work skills and connect them to career opportunities; support families with nutrition and wellness education; provide basic needs such as food and clothing; and help identified partners run cleaner, safer and more efficient facilities to enhance and strengthen the Center’s programs on an ongoing basis.
About ARAMARK
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. The company is recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, as the industry leader in FORTUNE magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies," and as one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 255,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.
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