One Door Closes ...
by Maggie Van Ostrand
One door closes ...
A celebrity has bumped me from my spot serving Thanksgiving dinners to the homeless. It's the new celeb thing here in Los Angeles, much as gentrification has overtaken Harlem, Tribeca, and <gasp!> the Bowery. (Where O where will Uncle Joey go now?) There are plenty of celebs who will shove you out of the way just to make themselves feel good at the end of the day and, through the voice of his Public Relations people, he can subtly brag about his skimmed charitable works (using words like “committed to a cause,” or “pay back to the world”).
Last Thanksgiving, I went undercover to Santa Monica where meals were being served on the beach to the needy. I had planned to write a firsthand story about the Thanksgiving Takeover. My intention was to get behind the serving table, but it was crowded with early-bird workers who had shown up at 5 a.m. to prepare everything. I was directed to the person managing the event, slipped him some bucks for a place behind the counter, and suddenly the green bean server was terminated jobwise. I felt awful about that; all I had wanted was to be added to the pluckers, peelers, and potato mashers, not to fire someone. I said to the manager, "I don't want to throw a regular person out. I just want to help behind the scenes," and he replied, "For another 50, you could've served the turkey."
Another door opens ...
After discussing it with Cejas the Dog, we gathered and filled the car with all dog bedding left over when he decided he liked the beaten up 1985 bed of my old dog, Markus; bags and cans of food to which he prefers home cooking; a million toys, off many of which he's too polite to have removed the labels; treats galore, and quite a few blankets. The people who founded Blankets of Love agreed on the phone a few minutes ago to meet us in the morning so we can deliver all the good things sitting here at our house just waiting to make a rescue dog happy. This stuff goes totally to all needy rescue organizations in L.A. and surrounding areas. Blankets and beds are for cages so dogs will be more comfortable and look more appealing to potential owners.
Take that you greedy, publicity-hungry Salvation Army-spot stealing celebrity!! You can't keep us down!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!
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