Project Shepherd needs donations to make a difference in the coming months. To make the holidays brighter for those in need, Lakewood residents have generously given to Project Shepherd every year since 1973, when the Project Shepherd assistance program began.

Project Shepherd is a combined effort of the Lakewood Rotary Club and the City of Lakewood. Donations of food and toys, participation in the Project Shepherd Teddy Bear Tree program, and opportunities for volunteers are coordinated at the Burns Community Center.

Call 562-925-7512 for more information on donating food or toys, or to become a Project Shepherd volunteer.

If you would like to assist people in need in Lakewood, your donation can be sent to:

Lakewood Project Shepherd
c/o Rotary Club of Lakewood
5050 Clark Avenue
Lakewood, California 90712

Cash contributions are fully deductible on both state and federal income tax returns. (Project Shepherd’s federal tax identification number is 91-2044777. The program’s state tax identification number is 22570575.) A donation to Project Shepherd also can be made when signing up for recreation classes using the eCatalog’s “LIFE form.”

The Project Shepherd Teddy Bear Tree program (at many business and community locations, including Lakewood mall) encourages kids in need to hang their holiday gift wish on a tree with the hope of having it filled by an anonymous “Santa.”

Over 1,600 Lakewood residents, many of them children and seniors, will not be able to enjoy the holidays this year without the food, gifts and toys that Project Shepherd distributes – a reflection of the economic turmoil that has hit the California economy.