OUR STORY

Over a decade ago, a glaringly obvious problem was growing all over Los Angeles.

Being in my early twenties at the time, life was full of distractions, but this was something unavoidable. Like many, I found myself not knowing how to respond when encountering the situation face to face, and it ate at my heart. Homelessness.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it, especially in city that is the definition of societal feast or famine. At the time I was working in unscripted tv development and my former boss and I took a meeting with a person who ran a youth shelter. They told us that while most people assume anyone living on the streets needs food (which is also a necessity), the bigger need we fail to think about are undergarments. Imagine not being able to change your undergarments amidst all the other hurdles you have to face on the street? Could you go a month wearing the same pair of underwear? I don’t think so. I thought, socks and underwear are inexpensive, and even I could afford an extra couple pairs to give to someone, on my assistant salary. 

That year, I didn’t go home for the holidays. There was too much turmoil consisting of what many experience gathering with your bio family - arguments, tears, and lots of hurt. My found family were also experiencing their own issues with their respective bloodlines, so we decided to stay in LA. We collected as many donations of socks and underwear as we could, so we could distribute them on Christmas morning. We popped by the local McDonald’s beforehand to grab sustenance to hand out with the clothing, and we set out. We started driving, and pretty quickly discovered many unhoused people who hadn’t made it to the shelters. We’d pull over to the side of the road, approach a person with one bag of food, and one bag of clothing. We were met with initial confusion, but after telling them about the contents, their demeanors changed - softening and accepting the items. 

What surprised me most that first year was the look of shock from anyone we talked to. Feeling seen and heard is a universal desire we all have, but if you live on the streets, you are ignored and rejected daily. What that does to the human psyche is unbearable. The smiles, tears, and hugs were unexpected and welcomed, and that small act was a reminder …

If you can give a little, it can go a long way. 

But who am I? My name is Daniel Ross Noble. I’m a queer, heart forward, empath navigating life in Los Angeles, CA, and hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. A priority in my life is doing as much inner work as possible, so I can live with authenticity and intention. The entertainment industry brought me out to LA, and I’ve been working in the field for over a decade. I’ve felt alone at many points in my life. Navigating abuse, coming out as queer, and watching my bio family break apart - I could keep going… but we all can. We all have our pain and have navigated isolation. In every experience, I stumbled, fell down so hard it felt like it would take every ounce of my being to get back up. But I did. And I eventually healed. Working through the experiences and sharing my story created bonds with friends I could have never anticipated. I learned to share my journey and find my outlet to navigate the pain with music, writing, and moving my body. In my free time, I love to hike, get silly on my yoga mat, belt out Broadway hits, share present moments with my found family, and explore. I’m a curious being (some say I’m actually from outer space - I’m okay with that lol) and I’m always seeking out new ways to solve problems and help. My life has lead up to this organization because I learned how to give myself a little drive.