Fifty-five years ago, Ed and Carolyn Rose began a grassroots effort in their garage to help the low-income families they saw throughout the San Fernando Valley. They didn’t need to look far. Many in need lived near their own Northeast San Fernando Valley home. They began with an uncomplicated concept – by collecting and distributing food, furniture and clothing to give to anyone in need.
Their home became a focal point where people heard they could be helped and others who wanted to join them gathered to volunteer.
They decided to call their group MEND – Meeting Each Need with Dignity, and formally established themselves as a nonprofit in 1976.
Today, MEND has grown tremendously and is a vital lifeline in the valley for low-income families, holding free weekly food distribution and providing various assistance programs including resources for medical care and support services.
The couple’s example and reputation for benevolence have never been forgotten.
The Roses were honored on Sept. 24 for their work, with a square dedicated to them located just outside MEND’s headquarters in Pacoima. For the elderly couple, receiving the honor was a humbling experience.
“We don’t do it for any kind of accolades or awards,” Carolyn said. “We do it because it’s just a part of our heart, and we have that drive to want to help people.”
“Ordinary people have within them the ability … to accomplish big things, and that’s important,” Ed said. “We give them hope, ideas and the strength to go out and start a program [of their own]. You never know how it’s all going to end [up].”
Carolyn recounted how for the first 17 years of MEND’s existence, no one was getting paid, as everyone who helped out was a volunteer. But they did receive plenty of assistance not only from the Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, but from businesses, schools and synagogues.
Over the years, MEND would continue to grow in size, which Carolyn said reflected not only the need for these services within the valley but also the number of people wanting a chance to help others. She also noted that for many volunteers, it was an eye-opening experience to see so much poverty, particularly in Pacoima.
“I think that there is [a desire] within a lot of people … to get involved and help those in need, but the first step is for them to get involved,” Ed added. “We were very open to accepting volunteers.”
It’s been some time since the Roses, both of whom are in their 80s, have had any involvement with the day-to-day operations at MEND, but they are still in touch with the current leadership. Ed said that they act more like historians now, providing perspective on how they used to do things, while Carolyn said they often receive invitations to attend special events.
“They know that we really care about the people and want us to still feel that connection since we really can’t physically do a lot of the things that we could previously do,” Carolyn said. Although how things are done now is different, she thinks the current leaders at MEND are doing “a marvelous job.”
And they’re also happy to know that MEND has had a positive impact on their five children, who assisted them in several of their efforts, including visiting low-income families and distributing food. While it was tough going at times, with one of their children even accusing the two of caring more about other people than them, they have since come around to appreciate what they were taught by their parents.
“Our one son actually became a social worker, and he worked for the state of California as the health and human services deputy,” Carolyn said. “They realized that they really were lucky, and … we, as a family, could have been in a similar situation to some of the families we were helping, but I think it gave them a good perspective, and it’s something they’ve kept with them through their whole lives.”