Serving those in need on Christmas Day

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The spirit of giving is alive and well Sunday, Christmas morning, in Los Angeles.

The Most Rev. Jose Gomez, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles, began a long day by celebrating Midnight Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Gomez was scheduled to celebrate a Christmas Day Mass in English at 10 a.m. and one in Spanish at 12:30 p.m., both at the cathedral, and a Christmas Day Mass at the Men's Central Jail in downtown L.A.

Actor Dick Van Dyke leads hundreds of volunteers in serving a Christmas brunch to thousands of homeless and near-homeless men, women and children at The Midnight Mission on Skid Row, where a Santa's Village will be set up for homeless children to select toys and meet Santa Claus.

The Laugh Factory in Hollywood will conduct its 32nd annual free Christmas Dinner and Toy Giveaway for the underprivileged, homeless and anyone alone. Comedians Arsenio Hall, Dane Cook, Dom Irrera, Kevin Nealon, Tom Arnold, Paul Mooney, Paul Rodriguez and Tom Dreesen will help serve meals at 1 p.m, 3, p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and perform live shows.

More than 1,000 of Hollywood's homeless and hungry people will be provided dinner, blankets and toiletries, and children will receive toys and have their pictures taken with Santa Claus at the 26th annual Christmas Dinner Project at Hollywood United Methodist Church, conducted in association with nearby Temple Israel of Hollywood.

More than 700 homeless men, women and children, disabled and senior citizens will receive dinner and a sleeping bag from the nonprofit organization Food on Foot in the parking lot behind the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center in Hollywood.

Dinner-in-the-Park will be served to homeless and low-income adults, families, senior citizens and those who are alone in Pasadena's Central Park by Union Station Homeless Services.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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