Cal State L.A. gets into the spirit of giving
EPIC holiday drive provides toy, food to needy families in the area
Los Angeles, CA – The Educational Participation in the Communities (EPIC) at Cal State L.A. is gearing up for the holidays with its 41st Annual Holiday Toy and Food Drive. Donations of new and gently-used toys and non-perishable food are now being collected on campus through Dec. 7.
All in the spirit of giving, EPIC has organized the holiday drive to share the joy of the season with low-income families in the surrounding communities. This year’s drive will help deliver holiday cheer to more than 70 local families in coordination with 14 non-profit community agencies in the greater Los Angeles area. Last year, an estimated $21,215 worth of toys and food were collected and delivered to 207 kids and 107 adults.
EPIC, created in 1966, promotes volunteer community service by university students and creates opportunities for them to implement classroom theory in real-life situations that are beneficial to communities. EPIC also provides youth employment training, mentoring for schoolchildren, and—through America Reads and Counts—support for literacy and mathematics education.
For more about EPIC, visit www.calstatela.edu/univ/stuaffrs/epic or to donate to its holiday drive, call (323) 343-3380.
Note to editors and news directors:
Photo and interview opportunities will be available on the CSULA campus (See schedule below). Call the Public Affairs Office at CSULA in advance at (323) 343-3050 to arrange photo sessions.
· Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 10-11
Pick up donation boxes from offices and departments throughout campus. Inventory and sort toys and food.
· Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 12-13, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pack up boxes for families (Physical Education building, room 123)
· Wednesday, Dec. 12
Shop for additional toys and food from monetary donations
· Friday, Dec. 14; Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 17-18
Some agencies will pick up donations; others will be delivered
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Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 225,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to the Honors College for high-achieving students. Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu