Pasadena Jaycees to Provide Hygiene Kits and Volunteers to Assist Those Affected by COVID-19

Operation Strong, the Jaycees’ Covid-19 Relief Project to help those most in need

PHOTO: Pasadena.edu | SouthPasadenan.com News | Pasadena City College campus

Despite reopenings happening across the state, Covid-19 continues to ravage our communities, impacting our homeless neighbors and people of color the most. While many businesses are starting to reopen, millions are still out of work and new cases continue to slowly tick up. We are living in a new reality for at least the next year, until a vaccine is readily available.

The Pasadena Jaycees understand the threat we are facing and want to do what they can to help those most in need. Operation Strong, the Jaycees’ Covid-19 Relief Project, aims to do just that. Along with community partners like Friends in Deed and Project Pasadena, the Pasadena Jaycees will provide assistance and aid to the San Gabriel Valley community through the creation and distribution of over 1,500 hygiene kits. The kits will be distributed the first week of August, focusing on homeless individuals, but kits will also be made available to anyone in need, through partnerships with food pantries and homeless shelters. Additionally, the Jaycees will provide a volunteer workforce to assist other local organizations in any efforts they put forth to support those who are struggling to survive this outbreak.

Pasadena Jaycees Community Director, Cynthia Avalos noted: “The Pasadena Jaycees has a long history of community service projects that we have drawn upon to spearhead Operation Strong. As a trusted partner in the Pasadena community for over 90 years, we aim to leverage the efforts of our members, friends, and allies-at-large to aid the most vulnerable in our society at an unprecedented time of fear and uncertainty…Operation Strong represents an opportunity for youth volunteer leaders to tackle the most pressing public safety issue of our time. We encourage any support that the greater community can provide at this critical time.”

- Advertisement -

The  Pasadena Jaycees are currently seeking both volunteers and monetary donations. Anyone interested in participating in the project should contact Ms. Avalos at covid19@pasadenajaycees.org. Those looking to donate funds can also reach out via email or join the Jaycees for their first fundraiser for the project, a virtual magic show on Tuesday, June 30 from 8-9pm. Tickets are available at bit.ly/jayceesmagic. 50% of all proceeds will go to Operation Strong.

The Pasadena Jaycees began in 1929 and have been a volunteer and leadership training organization for people aged 21 to 40 ever since. For more information about joining or about any of the Jaycees’ other projects, please visit www.pasadenajaycees.org or email info@pasadenajaycees.org.

Friends in Deed is an interfaith organization that provides supportive services to meet basic human needs, so our homeless and at-risk neighbors can rebuild their lives. Project Pasadena is a free, online resource that connects those in need with volunteers who can assist them in the greater Pasadena area.