The Giving Spirit provides aid to these vulnerable and fragile lives by assembling and personally distributing survival kits to the children, women and families living on the streets of Los Angeles. These kits contain over 70 individual items providing sustenance to the homeless in their time of need. Our efforts have personally and positively impacted the lives of our volunteers and our homeless friends from Skid Row to Santa Monica.
“There is so much in this bag,” a recipient at the Downtown Women’s Center told our volunteers. “Everything on my list that I prayed for is in here! How did you know exactly what we need?”
Volunteer. Give. Learn.
The Giving Spirit – Why We Do It
Thanks to your kind support, our outreach ability to the homeless of Los Angeles continues to grow. We invite you to explore our website, to learn about what we do and the lives we touch, to educate yourself about homelessness, and to get involved – whether by donation or by hands-on participation or both. Without your desire to help those less fortunate than yourself, many lives – from the homeless to the volunteers – would not have been touched by this act of grace.
Our Mission
From our founder, Tom Bagamane
Dear Friends:
For those who have been with us since our inception in 1999, and for all our new-found friends and family who have become involved with our work, we are privileged to continue The Giving Spirit’s efforts with great hope and promise.
As we continue in our twenty-second year of providing aid to Los Angeles’ homeless community, we find new challenges to our mission. More people need our help due to unfortunate circumstances caused by the pandemic and the still recovering economy. Before the pandemic, I spent a day with a friend personally reaching out to the homeless, spending time with them, listening to their stories and hearing about their needs and the challenges they face as they struggle to live their life on the street.
To our dismay, we continued to find more folks that were just recently displaced – with nowhere to turn. We also found more women and children than in years past. Many are eager to return to the workforce but can’t find work. Others simply have been turned away by an overloaded “system” woefully inadequate to handle those society tends to forget when things get tough. The street is their home, and for many, this is where they will spend the rest of their lives. The effects of the pandemic have only made their situations worse with no end in sight.
The street is a far cry from where most of us live our lives, pre-pandemic or currently. For that we are all truly blessed. Thus, the reason we created The Giving Spirit.
Our format is simple. Your contributions allow us to purchase goods in bulk from discount stores, collect donated items from generous distributors and manufacturers, assemble and fill the bags with the help of volunteers and then distribute the bags directly to our homeless friends throughout this sprawling city. The pandemic has not stopped our direct aid. Since March 2020 when the pandemic began, The Giving Spirit has safely served over 25,000 homeless families and individuals despite the challenges while protecting our staff and volunteers through safety protocols and practices, including distributing the kits through partner agencies rather than directly on the streets.
This is what makes our mission so special. We bring the aid to the homeless, preventing them from traveling long distances with all their worldly goods (or leaving them unguarded). Our growing group of volunteers has, thanks to the amazing generosity of you and your peers and the help of our partner agencies, served more than 80,000 souls in Greater LA. You have helped us provide food, blankets, clothing, toiletries, water – and hope – at the time and place when they feel the most alone.
Routinely our volunteers are told, “Before you came, I had no idea where my next meal was coming from,” or “Thanks for remembering us. Do you know what it’s like to be forgotten?” I don’t, and I hope you and I and those we love never will…
Whether you choose to participate in our work or not, we thank you for your large hearts, your acute social conscience and your endearing friendship and loyalty.
Godspeed and peace to you and your families.
Tom
Tom Bagamane,
Founder and Chairman
The Giving Spirit
Our Progress
Your donation supports our homeless outreach effort and our educational programs that dispel the myths and tell the stories of the human face of homelessness. We supplement our wholesale bulk purchases of essential items by seeking the participation of the corporate, professional and non-profit communities in donations of in kind goods and services, while also continually expanding our volunteer and donor base. The graphs above illustrate the results of our efforts!
Founded in 1999, and granted 501(c)3 status in 2001, The Giving Spirit continues to grow, thanks to our grassroots base, foundation, corporate and non-profit partners and supporters from Greater Los Angeles and beyond and the recognition of the value and impact of our work in addressing and recognizing the truths for laying the groundwork to ameliorate and solve the homeless crisis in Los Angeles and the Nation. The graphs above chart our growth and the success of our outreach and educational efforts over the years.
Legal & Tax Documents
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. All Links open a new browser window).
The Giving Spirit Articles of Incorporation
The Giving Spirit City of LA Solicitation Card (2021-22)
The Giving Spirit IRS Form 990 (2020)
Independent CPA's Compilation Review 2015
Independent CPA's Compilation Review 2016
Independent CPA's Compilation Review 2017-18
Updated IRS 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Letter (2006)
IRS 501(c)(3) Preliminary Tax Exempt Letter (2002)
Volunteer Waivers
TGS Youth Waiver Releases Authorization TGS Adult Waiver Releases Authorization
Our Board
Tom Bagamane, Chairman and Found: [email protected]
Tom founded The Giving Spirit in 1999 and has led TGS as Chairman during its 18 years of continued growth and service to the homeless in Greater Los Angeles. Tom has over 25 years experience as an entrepreneur and senior management in the consumer products/retail field, including areas of strategy, operations, global business development, traditional and digital marketing, product branding and manufacturing. He has also operated venture capital, private-equity and owner-financed product companies and has launched and successfully sold two start-up consumer product companies. Tom currently is Managing Director of Profitable Good Group, a consulting firm for businesses interested in growing their bottom line through social impact programs
Tom’s business, leadership and organizational skills along with his passion for helping those in need have resulted in the assembly and giving out of over 40,000 survival kits to homeless families, men, women, children and youth in Greater Los Angeles since 1999 and the involvement of over 12,000 volunteers. Through Tom’s leadership, TGS has raised over $2.6 million in funds and in-kind donations for it survival kits. Tom received his MBA from George Mason University’s School of Business and his BA in Communications/Political Science from Virginia Tech University. Tom has received recognition from both of his alma maters for his humanitarian work through TGS, in 2005 from Virginia Tech, and in 2016 from George Mason University.
Dawn Ferry, Director and Secretary: [email protected]
Dawn has over 20 years in the world of education, entertainment and philanthropy. Early in her career, Dawn was an adjunct professor at UNC School of the Arts and guest lecturer at Columbia University in Chicago. Dawn moved to California when she was awarded a full scholarship to USC where she taught undergraduate classes and earned her MFA. Dawn has also worked in all areas of feature film, first as a Decorator and she works now as a Production Designer for television, live events, music videos, commercials and documentaries. Dawn has long been committed to making a difference in the world. Involved since her teens in animal rights and rescue, Dawn currently volunteers with Sanctuary, Animal Assisted Therapy. The Sanctuary rescues animals from abuse and neglect, rehabilitates them, and helps them heal people in return, including adults and children with disabilities and those with a history of trauma or abuse.
In 1999 Dawn became a Practitioner at Agape Spiritual Center. As part of her coursework for this, she volunteered with Hand2Hand, a program providing meals in Santa Monica, which introduced her to the Homeless Community and their needs. Dawn was the spokesperson for H2H and other Westside Feeding Programs with the City of Santa Monica and currently volunteers as the Services Coordinator. Dawn discovered The Giving Spirit while working with the organization to distribute kits to H2H. She was so impressed she began volunteering for its twice-annual survival kit assembly and distribution events in 2010 and has been a part of The Giving Spirit since. Dawn’s third philanthropic commitment is education and she is particularly interested in expanding Educational Programs at The Giving Spirit.
Garrett Jameson, Director: [email protected]
Garrett has over 20 years of digital and analog marketing/advertising experience with senior leadership positions at industry leaders such as Yahoo! and Amazon as well as multiple senior positions within digital media startups and his current digital media consultancy, Polish & Shine Digital. Prior to his digital experience, Garrett also held senior leadership positions with the Los Angeles Lakers and Forum Sports & Entertainment. Garrett has a long history of personal involvement in non-profit work within Los Angeles. Garrett was a Big Brother for over 15 years and still enjoys a strong relationship with his little brother Cameron. Garrett and his family have also been long-time supporters of Thomas House Temporary Shelter in Orange County. More recently, Garrett currently serves on the Board of Directors for St. Paul the Apostle School where he also serves as the varsity girls’ volleyball coach this year.
Garrett was introduced to The Giving Spirit by his friend Tom Bagamane close to a decade ago. Garrett was immediately drawn to the direct action TGS takes with their homeless constituents and the immediate relief their efforts provide. Garrett quickly involved his wife Tiffany and daughter Grace who currently serves as a student ambassador for St. Paul the Apostle School where she has helped organize volunteers and the creation of thousands of Friendship Cards over the years. In addition to regularly attending events as a volunteer, Garrett has served in leadership, management and advisory positions at The Giving Spirit in social media and digital outreach, among other areas.
Officer
Tim Ingram, Treasurer and Operations Director: [email protected]
Tim is an attorney in Los Angeles. After serving on TGS’ Board for 10 years, Tim currently serves as Treasurer and Operations Director. After serving more than a decade in a variety of roles as a volunteer, Tim became the Operations Director for The Giving Spirit in 2015, where he oversees the day-to-day management needs of the organization as well as providing reports and strategic advice to CEO Tom Bagamane, team members and the Board. Tim also serves on The Giving Spirit's Development Committee in a variety of capacities, including coordinating grant proposals. Tim also uses his background to guide The Giving Spirit’s compliance with local, state and federal regulatory requirements. Tim received a BA in Economics from Washington and Lee University and a J.D., from George Mason University School of Law.
Committee Chairs
Clarence Johnson Chair Events: [email protected]
Clarence is a Principal Engineer at Raytheon in El Segundo, CA, with experience developing solutions for complex problems. He holds Bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering from Tulane University. Clarence uses his engineering and problem solving skills to design, organize and manage TGS’ assembly process during each event. This includes marshaling and training both experienced and new volunteers into an efficient assembly and distribution process.
Laura Bales, Chair of Procurement: [email protected]
Laura is an Off-Premise Support Manager at California Pizza Kitchen, providing procurement and logistical support for the company. She grew up in the Chicago suburbs and has her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Illinois Wesleyan University. As a volunteer for TGS for the past eight years, she now leads all procurement efforts for the organization, including managing vendor relationships and in-kind donations.
Mike Salmen, Webmaster: [email protected]
Mike is a broadcast television, OTT, video, digital media and IT professional, and winner of over 40 awards for broadcast journalism, communications and public service. Nominated for an Emmy. He created and produced the first all computer generated Public Service Announcement aired in the US. At age 20, while attending the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Mike "fell into" his first television job - and never looked back.
Today, Mike strives to make a difference through his social service projects and philanthropic activities. He and his wife Mickie live in San Diego, and are always looking forward to their next road trip with their vintage 1963 travel trailer.
Volunteer. Give. Learn.
The Giving Spirit
11693 San Vicente Blvd. #113
Los Angeles, CA 90049
310-943-6460
[email protected]