NLSLA Coordinates Toy Drive, Volunteers Step in to Help

This holiday season, NLSLA coordinated a toy drive for students experiencing homelessness at Telfair Elementary School in Pacoima. More than 25 percent of Telfair’s students are homeless. They live in motels, in cars, and in garages. Their families struggle to get through each day, and the children carry the burden of these precarious situations into the classroom.

The school was the focus of a recent series in the Los Angeles Times, which brought to life the struggles and hopes of these students, their families, and their teachers.

After NLSLA sent an email asking for gift donations, attorney Michael Davis—a volunteer at our bankruptcy self help desk in Woodland Hills—enlisted his firm, Brutzkus Gubner, to help. The firm bought Christmas gifts for all 65 students still remaining on the list, meaning all of the students at Telfair will have a gift this Christmas.

“We are so grateful that they have stepped in to make this a joyful holiday for kids at Telfair whose families are struggling this year,” said NLSLA Director of Community Engagement Lambreni Waddell. “NLSLA became involved with Telfair because the school is in our backyard. We hope to deepen our ties to the school, and to offer students, families, and educators support in the near future.”