Our Mission

The mission of Palisades Cares is to organize and support community service projects in Pacific Palisades and the greater
Los Angeles area. We organize workshops and forums dealing with local issues, especially the environment. We also spearhead environmental projects in Pacific Palisades.  


Meetings of Interest

Wed. July 15 Water-wise Gardening Workshop,  7:00 pm. Pacific Palisades Pacific Presbyterian Church Library, 15821 Sunset Blvd, Pacific Palisades, CA.

This workshop features Nancy Cipes, Stephanie Blanc, representative from DWP. An opportunity to learn about new water restrictions, rebates for installing turf free front yards/sprinklers, advantages of types of irrigation, plant choices, and to share your experiences, etc.  For info: contact info@palisadescares.org or call 310-459-1614. Please rsvp to the prior email. Palisades Cares is compiling a list of local resources for drought tolerant gardening. Please email us with your information.

July 21 CD 11 Wise Water Use Expo.  6-9 pm Mar Vista Park Auditorium, 11430 Woodbine St, LA Ca 90066.
This expo features Ed Begley Jr, Kevin O'Donnell, and G3LA. Sponsored by the CD11 Empowerment Congress. For info contact Joseph Treves at 310-861-4441.

Current Volunteer Opportunities

Westside Food Bank.  The local foodbank needs help sorting donated food. Please contact them.

Saturday, July 18, Serve Dinner to Clients of OPCC at Turning Point Transitional Housing. 4:45 pm to 6:15 pm.  Help prepare and serve dinner to the 55 residents of Turning Point Transitional Housing, part of OPCC. The residents receive housing and supportive services from OPCC, opcc.net. Contact info@palisadescares.org for details on what to bring by Friday morning. Location: 1447 16th St. Santa Monica.  Recent magazines or toiletries are also welcome.

 
Green News in the Palisades

Riviera Country Club honored by the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce for "Being Green" at the recent Chamber Installation event. Details on Greening the Palisades page.

Mandatory Water Conservation is Here! Visit www.ladwp.com for details.

Sprinklers can only be used on Mondays and Thursdays before 9 am and after 4 pm. No restrictions on drip irrigation.

Water Conservation Rebate Program. LADWP gives rebates on weather based irrigation controllers, artificial turf, rotating nozzles, residential drourght resistant landscaping, low flow toilets, and high efficiency clothes washers. Details at  http://www.ladwp.com/ladwp/cms/ladwp000399.jsp

Recent Activities

Big Sunday Family Friendly Garden Revitalization at Paul Revere Charter Middle School, Saturday, May 2, 9 AM to 1 PM

The native plant area of the amazing 1 1/2 acre Paul Revere Middle School garden needed weeding along with other revitalization tasks. This activity cosponsored by Revere PRIDE/PTSA and Palisades Cares. 20 people volunteered.
 
Palisades Reads: A Community-Wide Book Club, Featuring The Soloist.  
In April, a community-wide read of The Soloist by Steve Lopez was sponsored by Palisades Cares, in conjunction with Michael Edlen, Gelson's, Village Books and Dr. Kathleen Jackson.  We had book discussions, musical events, and discussions on homelessness and mental illness.  Photos from the events are available on the Recent Activities page.

 

Speakers at the final Palisades Reads event held on April 29 at Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church discussed homelessness, mental illness, and how we can help humanize people with these issues.

 

Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben of Kehillat Israel reminded the attendees that “everyone is someone”, that all human beings are made in God’s image, with no exceptions.   People want to be part of a community, and to connect with others. He urged us to all find our own special heart to make a contribution to touch the lives of others.

 

John Maceri, Executive Director of OPCC, said thirty years of bad public policy have lead to Los Angeles being the homeless capital of the United States.  The current emphasis of service agencies is to end homelessness by providing housing and supportive services. Maceri said that no one wants to be homeless: there are lots of causes for homelessness, including job loss, mental illness, and substance abuse. People’s circumstances cause them to lose their safety net.  Local service agencies are seeing more families needing help.

 

Rene Buchanan, volunteer coordinator at Daybreak, a shelter for mentally ill homeless women, told a story of a successful woman who suddenly started suffering from depression, became estranged from family and friends, entered hospitals for treatment, and one day was dropped at the doors of OPCC’s Access Center. Several years later, the woman, Rene, is now a staff member, free from depression and substance abuse, in her own apartment, working to help women who are suffering from mental illness and homelessness.

 

Here are ways we can help people who are homeless. The first two are taken from a handout provided by Participant Media:

• Make eye contact and say hello;
• Keep small bags or packages of toiletries, snack food, or socks in your car in case you want to share them;
• Give people cards indicating where they can go to receive services locally in Venice and Santa Monica;
• Volunteer with a local social service agency that assists people who are homeless.

 Remember people who are homeless are people first and homeless second.

You can go to www.takepart.com/TheSoloist to get more information about volunteering. Visit www.opcc.net for information on OPCC and its programs, including Daybreak.

 

Pacific Palisades Recycling Guide

All Palisadians recently received a copy of the Pacific Palisades Recycling Guide, compiled by Palisades Cares. It was printed on 100% recycled paper by POST Printing. Distribution was made possible by a grant from the Pacific Palisades Junior Women's Club. If you don't live in the Palisades, but would like this handy reference, email info@palisadescares.org and we will send you one as long as supplies last.
 



  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caring for the Environment

Caring for Other People