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 Happy Holidays! As we enter this season of reflection and gratitude, we’d like to thank our amazing community of supporters. For most of us, the holiday season means family, friends and a hopeful new year. But for many Angelenos struggling to make ends meet, the holidays can be an incredibly stressful time. Rampant inflation and the continuing effects of the pandemic have contributed significantly to the growing number of individuals and families who are newly homeless, with many more on the brink of losing their housing. According to the Brookings Institution, the cost of basic necessities increased more than 20 percent between 2018 and 2021 in Los Angeles, a painful number that is only getting much worse this year. A 2021 report by the Economic Roundtable predicts that chronic homelessness will increase by 86 percent in Los Angeles County by 2023, compared with the situation before the pandemic began. Project Ropa has seen the impact of COVID-19 and of soaring inflation first hand: The number of people we serve on a monthly basis has increased to an average of 950, more than a 50% increase since last year. And more of those we serve are families with young children who are on the brink of homelessness. Prior to the pandemic, we rarely served families and the majority of our clients were single adults. Now nearly 30 percent are low-income and unhoused families. Our Community Clothing and Hygiene Bank now works with more than 25 mutual aid and small nonprofit organizations across the Greater Los Angeles area, an increase of more than one-third since 2021. We provide bulk supplies of clean clothes, shoes and personal hygiene products to these organizations for distribution to their communities. Clean clothes may seem like a small thing to those who have access to them every day. But to someone on the streets or living paycheck to paycheck, a new outfit that is the right fit and style and is appropriate for their individual needs can restore dignity, rekindle optimism and fuel a sense of opportunity. It can also reduce the risk of contracting a host of highly communicable diseases (including staph and COVID-19) as well as bacterial and fungal infections. BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION SHOP OUR AMAZON WISHLIST In addition to serving those in need from our Mobile Clothing Closet, which we operate at locations in Echo Park and Boyle Heights, we have partnered with the Hollywood Food Coalition to provide individuals who are getting a hot meal with hygiene kits and pre-packaged grab-and-go packs that contain clothing essentials. We provide this service once a month, distributing an average of 185 kits and packs. We’d love to do this more often, but need more funds to make that happen. We are fortunate to receive sufficient donations of shirts and socks, but are constantly in need of new underwear and hygiene products. Meanwhile, the soaring cost of gasoline has affected our ability to increase the number of service sites. It now costs more than $600 a month to keep all our vehicles on the road. BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION SHOP OUR AMAZON WISHLIST  Reminder… #GivingTuesday Is Coming Soon! Finally, a quick reminder that Giving Tuesday is just around the corner. We’re sure you will be getting (or have already received) requests from tons of worthy nonprofits, but we’d be truly grateful if you would consider donating to us as well. Your donation will help us empower the lives of those we serve: providing clothing and hygiene products can open doors to housing and employment opportunities as well as reduce the spread of transmittable diseases. Giving Tuesday Is November 29! As we enter the final month of 2022 and look ahead to next year, we want to wish you, as well as your families, friends and even your pets, a happy Thanksgiving and holiday season. Thank you for being part of our community! With gratitude, From all of us at Project Ropa BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR MAKE A ONE-TIME DONATION SHOP OUR AMAZON WISHLIST |
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