Dear Friend,

One of the things that inspires me most about Friends In Deed is how our programs—each powerful on their own—come together to create something even greater. Every day, I see our teams collaborate with compassion and intention, supporting our clients not just at one point in their journey, but all along the way. It’s a beautiful reminder that when we work in harmony, lives truly change.

I’ve also seen that same spirit of synergy throughout our larger community, as Pasadena and Altadena continue to recover and rebuild after the Eaton Fire. Neighbors have stepped up for neighbors, nonprofits have linked arms, and local leadership has leaned in with grace and determination. It’s collaboration in action—and it’s deeply moving to witness.

In this newsletter, you’ll find stories that reflect the power of connection and cooperation—within our organization and across the community. I’m so grateful to be part of this work, and even more grateful for your support, which makes it all possible.

With gratitude,

Bret Schaefer

Board President, Friends In Deed

Bad Weather Shelter (BWS)

Providing cold-weather support for our neighbors experiencing homelessness

Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance (EPRA)

Short- and medium-term rental support to prevent eviction

Food Pantry

Dignified grocery shopping experience for 600+ households weekly

Street Outreach and Housing

Team of workers on the streets engaging with our neighbors experiencing homelessness and connecting them to services

The Women's Room (TWR)

Daytime shelter for homeless and at-risk women

At Friends In Deed, we honor the dignity and privacy of every person we serve. The stories we share are real, but sometimes, we change names or minor details or use stock photos to protect our clients’ identities. Thanks for your compassion, understanding, and support.

Friends In Deed is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. We embrace and celebrate the spectrum of our employees’, volunteers’, and clients’ ages, color, ability or disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, neurodiversity, and other characteristics that make our employees, volunteers, and clients unique.