Church Efforts
CHOA wants to highlight what individuals and churches are doing in Arcadia. The Arcadia Faith Community needs to know what efforts are going on around Arcadia, to both help support these efforts, in prayer, financially, or to offer more people-power. This may also inspire others to start new efforts.
There are 2 main efforts going on, to help folks on the margins. The last item shows how CHOA got started:
1) Steven Boi and Breakfast in the parks
2) Hill’s Church Food Distribution on the 2nd and 4th Saturday mornings of the month
3) Jill Shook and Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH) helped CHOA get started, with our “Exploring Arcadia Housing Solutions” gathering on April 30th, 2022. CHOA also benefiitted when MHCH held an Affordable Housing Bus Tour in Pasadena in July 2023, and it was filmed by Arroyo Now. Learn how Pasadena has created Affordable Housing, in the 2 part videos below.
Steven Boi and Breakfast in the parks
For 11 years and counting, Steven Boi and his team has been caring, feeding, befriending, loving, and housing the unhoused in Arcadia.
They take a Christian-based approach, and do the following:
- Come to where the unhoused are…at the parks.
- They are at Eisenhower Park on Monday mornings, and Arcadia County Park on Friday mornings.
- Steven has his team provide breakfast. They have breakfast burritos, fruit, warm soup, coffee, donuts, and many folks that Steven has worked with just bring other food items.
- They pray before they eat breakfast.
- They give a Scriptural based talk/sermon, to encourage the unhoused and the housed on what God is asking us to live…in his image, listening to God, and loving our neighbor.
- Steven goes beyond this, and urges the unhoused to prepare to turn their lives around.
- Steven gives them job opportunities, when they are ready.
- Steven offers housing, again, when they are are ready.
- Many unhoused that come to Steven’s breakfasts bring other unhoused they meet.
- Steven and his team have single handedly reduced the homeless count here in Arcadia for years.
- Steven has built up such a large network of partners, folks just come, and bring items. Mike saw one elderly woman bring soaps and hygiene items.
- The gatherings have a spirit of hope, and family. Folks are coming to a safe place with Steven.
CHOA strongly suggest you come visit Steven and his team. Begin to talk to those who are unhoused, and see how you can help this effort. You will sense a blessings working with Steven.
The top 2 pictures on the left is the group at Eisenhower, even when it was raining, and the 2 pictures below are some Steven and his team at the Arcadia County Park (praying before they eat breakfast together).
Hill's Church and Food Distribution
God is good…all the time. To see this tangibly, please meet Hill’s Church, and some of their leaders, Stephen and Eileen Casey. For one year now, they run a free food pantry distribution from Hills Church (805 N. 1st Ave. Arcadia, CA 91006), on the 2nd and 4th Satrudays, from 10am to 12pm. Mind you, this is in Arcadia. Arcadia! Here’s what their pastor – Pastor Walter – says about their program.
We are seeing over 100 individuals each 2nd & 4th Saturday with probably around 10-12 children. When they list their family number about 320+ benefit from this outreach! Many ask for prayer and we are building some great community relationships.
Pastor Walter invited Stephen and Eileen to start the food pantry at the church. They have done a similar effort in Monrovia for 6 years, so they know what they are doing. They have a warehouse to store the food from the Food Bank downtown. When they asked where they can store the food at the church, Pastor Walter said they could use his office, and they even torn out the window and put in double doors so they can bring in the palettes. They have an eager team of volunteers, almost fighting who gets to go pick up the food downtown, and filter out the rotten food from the good. These volunteers also help at the food distribution, every 2nd and 4th Saturday..
They have story after story of how God has timed their efforts, with the needs of others. Folks tell about their choices of paying for either food or gas, and this food pantry allows them to have both. They had several palettes of power milk, even the special kind for sensitive stomachs. They even gave a pastor from the Congo (Africa) many cans of powder milk, which they brought to the Congo…packing the powdered milk in many 50 lbs suitcases…and feed many babies in a village there.
They do have challenges. Stephen and Eileen are organizing to make their efforts be under a non-profit, and get a business license with the city. They need financial assistance, mostly to pay for the gas for the truck to pick up the food. They drive 50 miles for each pickup, and that gas goes fast. They also need more storage space for the food palettes.
I could talk and listen to Stephen and Eileen for hours. May the Lord continue to bless their efforts.
Making Housing and Community Happen (MHCH)
CHOA’s genesis came from a large part of the effort of Jill Shook, and Making Housing and Community Happen, from Pasadena. Jill led our gathering on April 30th, 2022. If you are from another city, and would like to learn how to make an impact for more housing options, reach out to Jill to have a Housing Justice Institute in your city. The first video below is the feedback from the institute done in Monrovia a few years ago. We created a team of those wanting something better for Arcadia…and a few months later…CHOA started.
To recap, for those from Arcadia, about 30 participants gathered on April 30th, to hear what is possible, how God cares about land and homes, what others are doing, and how can we join in. Thank you everyone, and Foothill Unity Center for hosting our gathering. We saw possibilities. We gained hope in each other. With Jill’s effort and encouragement, we are taking the next step. Join us!!
If you like to watch the recordings or see the slides of the day on April 30th (2022), let us know. The link is here. Contact us to get the password to see the videos.
In July 2023, MHCH had an Affordable Housing Bus Tour, and it was filled by Arroyo Now, in a 2-part video. We show both parts in the videos below. Watch and learn how MHCH and friends of housing in Pasadena created Affordable Housing in Pasadena. CHOA and us in Arcadia can learn from MHCH and Pasadena.
