Assistance League of Pasadena was founded in 1936 and became the sixth chapter of National Assistance League in 1941. We are a nonprofit, nonpolitical, nonsectarian volunteer organization that puts caring and commitment into action through our philanthropic programs serving specific needs of the community. Our Pasadena chapter is one of 120 Assistance League chapters with 22,000 members nationwide.

PHILANTHROPIC PROGRAMS

Operation School Bell®  is our signature program which provides clothing for school children in need. Included in this philanthropy is School Supplies for Success. Through referrals from principals, counselors and community assistants in the Pasadena Unified School District, this program supplies uniforms, personal care items, school supplies and a book to elementary students. During the 2021-2022 school year, we helped 2,184 children and have served over 29,600 children since the program’s inception. The goals of these programs are to build self-esteem and enable the students to be better prepared to learn.

 Craft Fair Gift Shop opened in 1955 and is a consignment shop that offers a creative outlet for adults over 50 years of age to supplement their income and remain active by making handcrafted items. Despite being closed for a large part of the year, due to Covid-19, in 2021-2022 Craft Fair still managed to return over $51,000 to 140 exhibitors,..

 Assault Survivor Kits® is a program that provides clothing items to survivors of assault or abuse who have been referred for assessment and treatment. The goal is to offer comfort and help restore dignity to these assault survivors. Kits are distributed through the Violence Intervention Program at the Los Angeles County – USC Medical Center and the Sexual Assault Response Team at San Gabriel Valley Medical Center.

 Bear Hugs provides teddy bears as huggable friends to comfort neglected, abused, or traumatized children. In 2021-2022, our program distributed over 3,500 teddy bears to the Violence Intervention Program at the Los Angeles County – USC Medical Center, San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, Shriners for Children Medical Center – Pasadena, Huntington Memorial Hospital, and Glendale Memorial Hospital.

 Very Important Performers was established in 2010 to honor middle school students who have demonstrated dramatic improvements in one or more of the following areas: attendance, academics or behavior over the course of a semester; or have made a positive difference in their school environment. Despite remote learning situation we were still able to recognize 33 students from 6 PUSD middle schools.

 Assistance League SNAP!  (Serving Neighbors Around Pasadena) was established in 2017 and is one of our newest programs.  It is designed to give our volunteers the flexibility they need to quickly respond to community needs as they arise on a one-time-only basis. In 2021-2022 we held 5 events – collecting school supplies and backpacks for Friends In Deed, donating toys to the Friends In Deed Holiday Drive, providing diapers and diaper supplies for Families Forward Learning Center, providing $5000 worth of food and supplies for the Pasadena Senior Center food pantry, and donating new clothing to a school for Ukrainian refugees.

FUNDRAISING

 Treasure Fair Thrift Shop had net sales of over $140,000 in 2021-2022. It is staffed by volunteer members and is stocked with donated clothing, household items, books, furniture, jewelry, novelties, collectibles and more.

 Annual Appeal: Our members and community friends show their support of our chapter by donating to our Annual Appeal. In 2021-2022, our supporters generously contributed over $77,000 to this campaign.

 Tributes and Memorials: Contributions to our chapter from members and the community are always welcome – in honor of, in loving memory of, or to commemorate special events.

 Grants: Our Grants Committee seeks grants each year from charitable foundations and community organizations. In 2021-2022, we gratefully accepted $38,000 in funding from the Albertson Company Foundation, The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation, the Pasadena Host Lions Club Memorial Trust, the Green Foundation and the Jameson Foundation. Assistance League of Pasadena also received a one-time grant of $50,000 for a new educational program.

Assistance League of Pasadena is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and donors may deduct contributions to our organization as provided in section 170 of the IRS Code. Our Federal Tax ID # is 95-1891341.

Assistance League of Pasadena, 820 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91106  626.449.2068 • www.pasadena.assistanceleague.org