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A strong desire to give back was all the incentive South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinsky needed Wednesday as he joined members of his department, along with a current and former government city official, in providing meals for the underprivileged as part of a longtime Thanksgiving tradition in Pasadena.
Solinsky was among a group of volunteers participating in the Union Station Homeless Services’ annual Thanksgiving “Dinner in the Park” with SPPD Lieutenant Shannon Robledo, the department’s police management analyst Alison Wehrle, South Pasadena Mayor Pro Tem Michael Cacciotti, City Chaplain Sam Park and Bob Joe, who once served on the council and later was mayor in town.
Together, along with members of the 2022 Royal Court, which features South Pasadena’s Ava Feldman and six other young ladies representing the Tournament of Roses, they were all instrumental in the agency’s effort to feed hundreds of impoverished individuals.
Due to the COVID-19 regulations prohibiting large gatherings, this year, like last, the dinner – a ritual for more than 50 years – was forced to relocate. The large-scale community event usually held in Pasadena’s Memorial Park was moved to the Union Station Adult Center on Raymond Avenue in the city where volunteers distributed boxed dinners to those driving or walking up to the building seeking a meal.
“Attending this event has become a Thanksgiving tradition that I cherish,” said Solinsky. “It provides a wonderful opportunity to meet residents and people from all walks of life while allowing me to give back to a community that has provided so much for my family and me. In a small way, I can express my appreciation by giving back.”
On Thursday, residents living at the Union Station’s Adult Center were served sit-down dinners, consisting of turkey and all the trimmings – mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pumpkin pie.
Solinsky has long known that “The City of South Pasadena has a great working partnership with Union Station and its staff,” he said proudly.
Through Measure H funds, Solinsky says a housing navigator, key to addressing homelessness in South Pasadena, was brought on in 2019, two years after LA County voters overwhelmingly approved the landmark measure – a ¼ percent increase to the sales tax to provide an ongoing revenue stream – estimated at $355 million for 10 years to fund services, rental subsidies and housing for the homeless.
“A housing navigator provides coordination and case management support services to individuals experiencing homelessness or on the verge of homelessness,” explained the police chief. “The collaboration with Union Station has significantly improved the response of those that are unhoused. The on-site housing navigator is a tremendous resource that can address the complex and diverse needs of our community’s unhoused living in and traversing the city.”
Along with the housing navigator, Solinsky said the City of South Pasadena is making strides to help the homeless population through the police department’s Homeless Outreach Program (H.O.P.E.), created in 2016. Its goal is for the police department to provide assistance to the city’s homelessness by “breaking the cycle,” he said. “The police department works closely with other city, government, and private service providers to help accomplish this goal by connecting these individuals with resources.”
SPPD service providers, noted Solinsky, include the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department, Pasadena Union Station, Los Angeles Homeless Authority, and local faith-based organizations.
He says South Pasadena Police Department HOPE Team, led by Robledo, contacts the unhoused within the city, “establishes a rapport with them, strives to determine their needs, and directs them to resources,” including housing, mental health services, food, hygiene, clothing and official documents. It’s vital resource, he says, in helping those needing help the most.
Cacciotti also recognizes the need, noting: “All of us whether we are Muslim, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindu or whatever philosophy or belief, are called to serve the less fortunate, to alleviate the suffering of those in our community and to be compassionate.”
Added Joe, a longtime advocate of Union Station: “Public service is all about helping others. We need to show a heart of compassion, we need to show kindness through attitude, words and deeds.”
For Solinsky Thanksgiving personally is “an opportunity to reflect on the past and take a moment to appreciate all the blessings in my life, such as my family, friends, colleagues, and community,” he said, before adding, “It is so easy to take things for granted or forget about the little things in life that make you smile. Just as much as the day is about remembrance, it is also a day of looking forward to the future challenges and accomplishments of the coming year.”
