Men CARE holds supply drive for women’s shelter

USC’s Men CARE held its first service event in the community Saturday to benefit a nearby women’s shelter, the Jenesse Center Inc.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., members asked customers entering Pavilions on Vine Street if they would consider purchasing an extra item to benefit the shelter. They passed out fliers that contained a list of what the shelter needed — mostly nonperishable food, cleaning supplies, hygiene items and school supplies — and information about domestic violence.

“Doing a supply drive lets us raise the projects that domestic violence needs, but it also lets us educate people about domestic violence in a casual and informal way,” said Todd Henneman, assistant director of the Center for Women and Men and adviser to Men CARE.

Season of giving · Allison Ganz (left) gives USC Men CARE member Tal Peretz a bag of supplies from Pavillions on Saturday. - Rachel Bracker | Daily Trojan

Men CARE President Cameron Sabol, a senior majoring in physics/computer science and electrical engineering, suggested that the group do a service event in the community last year and found the Pavilions location.

At the event, Men CARE ran out of fliers and boxes for the goods they collected.

“I had varying expectations because we had heard of other groups who had done this before who had said, ‘Oh, we got a ton of stuff,’ but this being our first time doing it, we weren’t really sure what would happen,” Sabol said.

The Jenesse Center was started in 1980 by five survivors of domestic abuse and is the oldest domestic violence center in South Los Angeles. It has a 24/7 hotline and offers a variety of services, including counseling, healthcare and transportation.

“We wanted to use a place that served the community around USC,” Henneman said. “The Jenesse Center offers emergency housing as well as temporary housing so that victims can rebuild their lives. It also provides legal services as well as educational programs to help women and children establish new starts.”

All of Men CARE’s members participated in the event. Henneman said that it was a testament to the group’s dedication that it was working on a game day — “a sacred day at USC.”

“The event [Saturday] didn’t cost USC or students anything — just volunteer time — but we’ve literally collected hundreds and hundreds of dollars for the community. It shows what students can do when they think creatively and want to help the community,” Henneman said.

Vice President of Membership Michael Vasquez, a junior majoring in health promotion and American Studies, said the event also displays how service-oriented USC has become.

“We had UCLA people come by and say, ‘Oh, they’re from the University of Spoiled Children,’” Vasquez said. “But I said, ‘Actually, it’s the University of Service to the Community.’”

The group has plans to continue the event in the future, possibly once a month. It has received approval to ask for donations for the Jenesse Center and the Ralphs on Adams Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.

USC Men CARE has spoken with middle and high school students about domestic violence and often hosts speakers on men’s and women’s issues but has never held an event specifically directed at the community surrounding USC.

“I feel like it really opens up your perspective,” said Gabriel Si, vice president of finance and a senior majoring in neurobiology. “Sometimes we might be a little closed in and not recognize a lot of things that are going on. Seeing all these people who are willing to help is really a great thing.”

The Center for Women and Men also provides services to students who grew up in abusive homes or have experienced dating violence. Support is available to all students. male or female.