[Los Angeles, California] - PRESS RELEASE - On Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, BigMike Straumietis and his team of Holiday Heroes volunteers will assemble and hand out 1,500 backpacks filled with critical personal protection and hygiene items to Los Angeles’ homeless community. The backpacks will be stocked with personal items for the recipients, including toothbrushes, deodorant, body wash, blankets, first aid kits and hand squeeze flashlights.
BigMike originally launched Holiday Heroes in Bulgaria in 2012, giving families in need packages of food and other critical supplies through door-to-door charity visits. He brought Holiday Heroes to the United States in 2016, when he and a team of volunteers, including Advanced Nutrients team members, handed out backpacks full of essential supplies to homeless individuals and families in Los Angeles. Since then, Holiday Heroes has grown and continues to serve LA residents in need, providing more than $100,000 worth of necessary supplies last Christmas.
This November, Holiday Heroes is celebrating Veterans Day and Thanksgiving by working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to distribute the backpacks to veterans in need, and also to deliver other much-needed supplies to Downtown Women’s Center, Homeboy Industries, United Rescue Mission, United Rescue Mission Hope Gardens, and the homeless population of Downtown LA’s Skid Row.
“When I first walked through Skid Row, I saw firsthand all the challenges the homeless community faces,” says BigMike who, as a child, had personal experience living in poverty and without regular meals. “I believe a corporation should give directly back to the community that supports it. I’ve been on the opposite side of poverty, and it’s a reason why Holiday Heroes is so dear to my heart.”
Working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to give back to the community on Veterans Day was a deliberate choice by BigMike to honor our nation’s heroes. “I have immense respect for the brave men and women who choose to serve our country,” BigMike says. “And I want to show my gratitude by serving the LA community with the resources I have. We can all give something to make life better for others.”
