“Acts of Love” – November 2019

AUHS expresses gratitude to God through giving and serving others so that they can enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. The AUHS Foundation organizes and hosts two Giving Thanks events for community members who are homeless and come from a low-income background. The first Giving Thanks event was in conjunction with the foundation’s quarterly Acts of Love events, where they handed out groceries to local families on campus. The second event was held at Second Samoan Church in Downtown Long Beach, where AUHS Founder Pastor Gregory Johnson has a weekly service there for the homeless community, and where AUHS faculty and students served meals to the homeless.

The event had food that was purchased from AUHS community partner Superior Grocers. Each person in attendance with a voucher was able to receive a turkey, a box of stuffing, a bag of potatoes, carrots, cranberries, corn, rice, and green beans to take home in time for Thanksgiving dinner. The AUHS Foundation passes out vouchers to community partners and resource centers to distribute to families in need of a little assistance.

Through this event, AUHS was able to give out free groceries to over 500 local families. Also, free flu shots were administered by Dr. Christine Han, a professor at AUHS and a licensed pharmacist. During the second event at Second Samoan Church, AUHS served brunch to the homeless consisting of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Over 350 adults were served turkey, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, vegetables, and pumpkin pie cookies. AUHS students and staff packed and handed out 300 hygiene kits filled with a toothbrush and toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, lotion, lip balm, toilet paper, 2 pairs of socks, and a beanie. Moses and Omar from PCH Barbershop joined AUHS to offer free haircuts. On the way out, Pastor Johnson gave alms to everyone who joined us for the meal. It was a blessing to serve members of the community with dignity. Many AUHS staff members brought along their families to share the blessings, and to serve and show their children the positive impact they can make in the lives of others. As a university, we do our best to honor God and do what we can to support families who live with challenges every day. We feel truly blessed to be able to use our time, resources, and knowledge to address both the spiritual, practical, and physical needs of our community.