Faculty and staff from across Keck Medicine of USC are coming together to provide healthy meals to our local community.
Each month, more than 20 staff members, physicians and leaders from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Keck Medicine spend an afternoon working together to purchase, prepare and serve dinner to more than 60 beneficiaries of Proyecto Pastoral at Dolores Mission.
Proyecto Pastoral is a local nonprofit organization established to improve the quality of life in Boyle Heights. Proyecto Pastoral is associated with the Dolores Mission, which offers an elderly women’s shelter and adult men’s shelter.
Volunteers from Keck Medicine of USC prepare food and serve meals as part of an ongoing commitment from Keck Medicine at Dolores Mission. (Photo/Virginia Baca)
Keck Medicine has an ongoing commitment through 2018 to provide nutritious meals at Dolores Mission.
“Preparing the meals is not only a great opportunity to give back to the community, it is a chance to roll up your sleeves and work side by side with colleagues from across our medical enterprise,” explained Paul Craig, chief administrative officer for Keck Medicine.
“At recent dinners we had faculty and staff participating from Keck Hospital, the Keck School, USC Norris and Alhambra,” he added.
Keck Medicine also hosts a weekly farmers market in Hazard Park each Tuesday. Profits from the market provide funding for fresh fruits and vegetables for the local community.
“They are many volunteer opportunities coming up that Keck Medicine faculty and staff can participate in to help our local community,” added Char Ryan, Keck Medicine Chief patient experience and employee engagement officer. “We have events happening year-round.”
Upcoming opportunities include Boxes of Love, which provides a complete Thanksgiving dinner to families over the holidays; Adopt a Family, which provides holiday presents to members of the community; and the annual holiday toy drive. Additionally, volunteers are needed to cook and serve food at Dolores Mission each month. For more information, contact Lusine.Davtyan@med.usc.edu.
— Virginia Baca
Rod Hanners, left, and Rohit Varma pour drinks as part of a volunteer effort to serve meals at Dolores Mission. (Photo/Virginia Baca)