Hertzberg’s Heroes: Vol. I, Issue I
Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND)
Welcome to Hertzberg’s Heroes! Every month, Team Hertzberg will highlight an organization or individual who exemplifies heroism through their dedication to making life better for the San Fernando Valley. Have a Hero to suggest? Submit your idea to Senator.Hertzberg@sen.ca.gov!
MEND, also known as Meet Each Need with Dignity, has aimed to provide basic necessities and services to individuals and families in the Northeast San Fernando Valley for the past 47 years now. Their mission is to help their clients meet their needs right away, so they can eventually lead a stable, independent life and venture back into the workforce where they can support themselves and their families. Some of the services that MEND provides include: an emergency food bank, medical, dental, and eye care clinic, clothing services and homeless care services.
Jackie Arriaga, the Administrative and Special Projects Coordinator with MEND, has been working with the organization for two and a half years now and has seen many positive changes since she first joined the team. Most recently, MEND has implemented a case management program where they focus on a handful of families, guiding each through the process to living a life where they can sustain themselves and their families, and helping connect them with other resources in the community.
MEND offers many different volunteer opportunities: from helping put food boxes together, to sorting clothes, to administrative volunteer opportunities, there’s so much to choose from to start making a difference in our community. MEND services the Northeast San Fernando Valley which includes the communities of Arleta, Lakeview Terrance, Mission Hills, North Hills, Pacoima, San Fernando, Sylmar, Panorama City, and Sun Valley.
To learn more about how to get involved with MEND, you can check out their website at https://mendpoverty.org and to stay updated with MEND, you can follow @MENDpoverty on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
