Volunteers "Feed the Need" in Colton

For a second time in two months, the Feed the Need program will be providing donated food, hygiene supplies and clothing items to the homeless when the second Feed the Need program kicks off Saturday, Jan. 24. The event, which will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at Chavez Park, is an upstart program led by Veronica Toledo, the program's founder and director. Toledo, who was raised in Colton and lives here with her family, said she has been helping provide necessities to the homeless since she was a child. "My mother, who is deceased now, used to take me as a kid and now with my kids we take clothing and food to the homeless," said Toledo. "I figured, why don't we have an organization here that does this on a monthly basis?" "I believe you have to be kind," added Toledo. "You never know if you could be in this situation. You could lose your job or your house could burn down and you could be homeless, so it's important not to judge. Go out, meet people and help them." Just before the Christmas holiday last month, Toledo and other event volunteers which included community residents, advocates, leaders and business owners gave out basic supplies to those in need. Approximately 50 people participated in the event, Toledo explained, enjoying a hot meal and receiving clothing items to shelter them from the cooler winter temperatures. "It was a blessing to see the community of Colton and many others come together to feed our local homeless. I am truly thankful to have the support that we have received and look forward to doing this on a monthly basis,” Toledo said. Her goal for this month's event is to provide individuals in need with food, clothes and "blessing bags" of snacks and hygiene items - and also pay for them to be able to shower. On Saturday, Jan. 10 the group will hold a rummage and bake sale at Echoes of Love Ministry, 710 West C Street, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The proceeds from this sale will help the group provide showers to the homeless and purchase tarps to help keep them dry in the rainy weather. Last month's inaugural event saw volunteers including the Toledo family: Angel, Alex, founder Veronica, Isaac, Alex Jr. and Adrian, who manned the food line. Debbie Caballos and Kristina Martinez and her family provided the blessing bags, while Marisa Diaz provided entertainment with local dance group "Tommy Gunn," including Diaz's son Tommy and the three children - Sienna, Chris and Ariana - of a close family friend. Donations and volunteer services were provided by those including: Anita-Annie Hernandez, Sherri Brown Villanueva, Adriel Guitron, Jenifer Di Croce, Linda Blair, Jenny Padilla, Patty Macias, Yolanda Lozano, Vanessa Mendoza, Michelle Hernandez, Jaimie Renee Martinez, Marissa Sierra, the nonprofit People Helping People organization, Gary Grossich of Nickelodeon Pizza, Mayor Richard De La Rosa and others. The event was sponsored by Edmond Ornelas and Colton City Councilmember Dr. Luis Gonzalez. Gonzalez will sponsor the upcoming Jan. 24 event as well. "What I love about the Feed the Need program is they get clothes and food and they help in absolutely any way they can. I believe in that," Gonzalez said. Having worked for the Salvation Army for 20 years, Gonzalez joined Colton Happenings about three years ago and looked for similar community outreach events in the city like the ones the Salvation Army holds for the area. "This is a community effort...Every single one of us can be a step away from (homelessness), so I think there needs to be a proactive response: where can they go for help? This is one of those cases."