Recycled Resources to Reach Local Homeless on Saturday

As a social worker whose job often brought her to Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles, Highland Park's Rebecca Prine was accustomed to receiving donations for the homeless people she frequently encountered.

However, Prine said that after considering the amount of organizations dedicated to serving Skid Row, especially compared to the relative dearth offered in her own neighborhood, she decide to focus her efforts closer to home.

After getting its start in East Hollywood, Prine has operated the nonprofit Recycled Resources program in Highland Park since 2009, the year she made the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood her home.

Prine said that, at its most basic level, Recycled Resources' mission is to establish bonds with Northeast Los Angeles' homeless and provide them with the materials and information they'll need when they are ready to get back on track.

"We want to make sure they have resources so when they are ready to make that change, they can do that," Prine said.

Regular Events

Recycled Resources is able to establish those bonds with their homeless contacts, which number around 100, by consistently collecting food, clothing, blankets and other essentials and then directly distributing those materials during events like the one they'll be holding on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Prine said new volunteers are invited to attend a brief orientation seminar at 9 a.m. at 715 Nolden Street. Those volunteers will then be paired up with veteran participants in the program and sent off to distribute the donated materials and share information with homeless people in Highland Park, South Pasadena, Glassell Park, El Sereno and Eagle Rock. 

Though she recognized that not everyone is ready to participate in the direct outreach efforts, Prine encouraged those who still wanted to support Recycled Resources to make a donation.

"Without people donating, we wouldn't have that instrument to establish that bond," Prine said.

Whether you want to participate in Recycled Resources' next event by doing direct outreach or by making a direct donation, you can get involved by going to 715 Nolden Street at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. New volunteers are encouraged to arrive at 9 a.m.

Interested volunteers are asked to email Prine ahead of time at piratebec@aol.com or by calling (323) 697-0001.