Staff Member story

Laura (pictured here one Christmas at the Bad Weather Shelter) is both one of our newest staff members, and one of our longest serving! As Director of the Bad Weather Shelter she has been with us only a matter of weeks, but as a Bad Weather Shelter worker she has been helping to cover the […]

Najwa always looks put together. Her makeup, hair, and nails are always absolutely on point (Najwa is known for her glamorously bejeweled nails!), and her clothes coordinate, right down to her shoes and belts. You can already see the attention to clothing and hair in the photo of Najwa as a little girl – and

Sometimes, calling someone “strong” is an easy way out. It can be easy to think that it matters less, if stressful and difficult things happen to a strong person, because they have the ability to cope with it. Friends In Deed Peer Specialist Angel Maxwell calls this idea out. “Life makes you strong,” she says,

Our Street Outreach Team’s Family Specialist, Michael Jaimes, has a strong reason to identify with some of the families he works with – one recent family in particular. The couple was originally from Colombia and had a baby on the way and no resources to fall back on. Michael was able to get them first

One of the wonderful things about Friends In Deed is the varied paths that members of our staff have followed before becoming part of the FID community. Stacey McCarroll Cutshaw, Director of Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance, is no exception! The photo shown here – with the classic Polaroid border of its time – shows

Merria is the youngest of seven children in an athletic family and much of her childhood was spent going from one sporting event to another, cheering on her older siblings. She decided she wanted a more official role – and Merria the cheerleader came into being! The spirit of cheerleading has never left her. In

When she was a child, Eva’s beloved dog would wait for her by the mailboxes at the end of her road and run to her when he saw her coming home from school. This began a lifelong love of dogs and a deep appreciation for their companionship and the joy they bring. Before Eva was

Tim first came to Los Angeles in pursuit of an acting career (the attached photo shows Tim’s first professional headshot!). At the time of his move to LA, Tim did not think the values he had been exposed to at his Mennonite high school and college had made much of a lasting impact on him.

Erik was thrown right in at the deep end in his role as Senior Director of Programs – during his first two months in the job, nearly every member of program staff had to take time off work for one reason or another, and Erik found himself on a steep learning curve as he covered