Henry Sanchez is on his way to turning his life into a success story. But it wasn’t always that way. Born in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Los Angeles in 1986, Henry grew up poor, unmotivated, and when he was all of 13 years of age, began making the wrong choices in his life.

Dr. Michael Smith and Monica Carrasco interviewed during Human Trafficking Awareness Day Prayer Vigil

    January 11 was the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness. In Los Angeles, The Salvation Army joined other anti-trafficking organizations in The LA Unity Coalition to help bring much needed attention to this serious social problem. U.S. State Department officials opine that nearly one million children are forced into the sex trade each year. U.S. government experts estimate that as many as 27 million persons worldwide are trafficked; of that number 17,500 new victims are brought into the US each year.

Just before Christmas those in need in South Los Angeles received a very special gift courtesy of the “Feed the Children” ministry based in Oklahoma. Working in conjunction with The Salvation Army, especially through The Salvation Army’s South Los Angeles Community Center, five semi-trucks full of food and personal care items were distributed to needy and deserving families. Along with other organizations like Feminine Enlightened Entrepreneurs (Feed 333) and the World Trust Foundation, volunteers and media gathered at the Celerity Nascent School in Los Angeles and participated in the single largest food distribution in the county on December 17.

Need knows no season…The Holidays may be behind us, but many opportunities to help your fellow man still lie ahead.

The Salvation Army asks you to consider those less fortunate than you not only during the Holiday Season, but throughout the coming year. You can help make a difference in someone’s life in 2008 with a donation to The Salvation Army, where 83 cents of every dollar given is put directly into programs that provide, among other things:
• A month’s worth of utilities for a struggling working family
• Nourishing meals for hungry children
• A helping hand to deserving Veterans
• Beds and a safe place for troubled teenagers
• Shelter for the homeless and abused
• Rehabilitation for those trapped in addiction
• The gift of literacy to a needy child
• The gift of hope to all who come to The Salvation Army for assistance