Overseeing the donations of food and gift cards at the Twelve Oaks facility are (from left) Paris Cohen, daughter Rebecca and Joy Smith.
By Mary O’KEEFE
he National Charity League Glendale Chapter gave Ascencia’s Winter Shelter a helping hand on Saturday by collecting food at Twelve Oaks Lodge.
“A lot of people have been dropping off food and gift certificates,” said Paris Cohen, NCL volunteer and president of the Twelve Oaks Foundation.
The food was delivered to the Ascencia Winter Shelter, which opened on Nov. 16 and will close on March 31. The shelter is a first come, first served facility with 80 beds available. Those needing assistance are asked to line-up from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.; there is no early line up allowed.
“They serve dinner and breakfast,” Cohen added.
The shelter also gives nonperishable foods to families who do have a place to live but need a little help with putting food on the table.
The collection on Saturday was at Twelve Oaks Lodge, which is appropriate because the assisted living facility is a symbol of hope for many in the community.
For 80 years Twelve Oaks Lodge on La Crescenta Avenue had been a unique retirement/assisted living facility. Buildings nestled within the oak tree-filled property were like cabins in the woods. Residents living there were an important part of the neighborhood. But in August 2013 the residents received a vacate letter from then-management company be.group. The company had decided to sell the property. This was all done without consulting the National Charity League Glendale Chapter, the original owners/managers of the property. The be.group had taken over the management of the property from the NCL about 10 years earlier. It was the understanding of NCL members that Twelve Oaks would remain an assisted living facility. Neighbors, former residents, families and other community members joined NCL in protesting the proposed sale. NCL and be.group ended up in court and in August the property was given to the Twelve Oaks Foundation. Its future is now bright with the Foundation working on returning it to its roots as an assisted living facility.
Ascencia Winter Shelter is located at 1219 Los Angeles St. in Glendale. For more information, call (818) 391-2890 or visit ascencia.org. Anyone interested in volunteering can email volunteers@AscenciaCA.org.
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