[Update 3.9.22] We are going to give out gifts to homeless people in Los Angeles on the festival of Purim, March 17th 2022. Thank you for supporting us!
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Due to an unforseen personal matter, Marcus may be unable to carry out the Santa Mitzvah mission on December 24th as planned, however it will happen in the new year, so all funds will still go towards gifts for the homeless. Thank you for your support. [updated 12.1.21]
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We plan to hand out 150 gifts to homeless people in downtown Los Angeles on December 24th 2021.
There are over 161,548 homeless people in California, with 66,436 in Los Angeles. Skid Row in downtown LA houses the biggest homeless community. There was an estimated 7% rise in homeless during the coronavirus pandemic. The aim of Santa Mitzvah is to raise awareness of the crisis and bring a smile and a bit of love to homeless people during the festive season. Marcus is the “Santa with Tsit-Tsit” and will be joined by Alfred Kendrick, a celebrity fitness trainer, model and Capoeira expert.
On December 24th 2021, we plan to give out 150 gifts to homeless people in downtown Los Angeles. The gift packages will include various items fun items to bring a smile, and we plan to give warm hats or gloves, personal care/grooming items and more. Every package costs $6, and the more funds we raise, the more gifts we can give.
Please donate what you can, whether it’s enough for 1 package or 100 packages. If we beat our goal of raising $1200, we may have to get some more Santas. Thank you for being part of Santa Mitzvah!
SANTA MITZVAH 2019
SANTA MITZVAH 2019
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Santa Mitzvah is dedicated to Anit Berger, who died Oct. 18 2018 at the age of 29, a day after she was struck in a hit-and-run accident in Ventura County, CA.. Anit was 29. a good friend was dedicated to helping the homeless and making people feel loved. Her energy felt present when I walked Skid Row. This project is dedicated to her memory. To get involved: www.santamitzvah.org
Hi Folks
Thank you so much for donating to this project. It was a big success – the homeless people were hugely appreciatives of the gifts, and thank you for your generosity. We prepared 100 gift bags, which consisted of both food and practical items, including things like;
– a bottle of gatorade
– packets of crisps/chips
– an energy bar
– yoghurt/apple sauce
– spoon & napkin
– toothbrush
– toothpaste
– lip salve
I dressed as Santa, even though it was Purim and a hot March day in Los Angeles, and we distributed the gifts in an area where there are lots of people, around Venice, CA.
Why dressed as Santa? I thought about various other costumes, or not going in costume, but Santa served a double purpose. Firstly, it raised smiles because it was completely the wrong time of year. And secondly, everyone knows that Santa brings gifts. It made people smile, so that was a win.
A journalist from ‘Santa Monica Closeup’ – a local blog – joined us, and he posted a video on his Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tv/CbOdIYQJPZR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link. I have various photos but haven’t yet posted them.
The crew was Liza Avetikova, who helped with the planning and all of the gift-packing, and Michelle Fryer who did the driving and back-up support on the day.
Thank you again for being part of Santa Mitzvah!
much love
Marcus
Fantastic results so far! Thank you so much to our first round of donors. The campaign is warming up – as will our homeless gift recipients when we give them some winter clothing – and we have not officially launched yet. To action!