Friends and Helpers was started in 1992 in Southern California. Our Founder herself learned during her first marriage that being abused robs you of self-esteem, and often those closest to you don't have any idea what you are experiencing. There are no glamorous events or celebrity-attended dinners to raise money for those abused. Victims of abuse are often forgotten and they are left alone to somehow tear themselves out of that situation without help.

Abuse can strike anyone and anywhere; spouses, parents, children and teens can fall victim to abuse. When the victims do get brave enough to finally leave their abusive situation, many flee with their kids and the clothes on their backs to counseling centers and shelters. We work with many of the centers and help provide love and support for those people and help them remember that they DESERVE to be loved. They are provided with a safe place to stay, clothes, food, love and support to help get them back on their feet.

That first year we started with providing a happy Christmas and Chanukah for mothers and their children who had no money, and no way of getting necessities, let alone gifts for their children. We had a small Christmas tree in our home and invited all our friends over to help us. On the tree we placed small cards with the exact gifts that those families wanted, provided to us by a counseling center. Each of us picked a family and immediately went shopping for the families. When we returned home, everyone wrapped their gifts and got them ready to be delivered to the center. The counseling center made it possible for the mothers to pick up the gifts, and on Christmas morning, or for Chanukah, their children smiled as they opened gifts from Santa or from their own moms or dads. Our Holiday program is still our biggest event of the year.

Since that day, we've provided a Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah for thousands of families!

We've also added many new programs including a Back-To-School program to help underprivileged kids, a teen support program, a Mother's Day program, and an Easter program. In addition we also support various churches and synagogues, and we do our best to respond to individual requests throughout the year.