Two Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics stationed in the middle of Skid Row want to make a difference in the lives of homeless youth.
Gregg Harvey and Corey McDaniel work at LAFD Fire Station 9, perhaps one of the nation's busiest. The station regularly receives 80 calls per day.
"Whether it's mental health issues or drug issues...It's a serious problem here. We try our best but there is only so much we can do," Harvey said.
The two brainstormed ways to help the community and settled on a focus close to each of their hearts: children. Harvey and McDaniel both have three daughters under the age of 10.
"We were thinking about the kids on Skid Row and how expensive it is for ordinary things we take for granted and school supplies being one of them," McDaniel said.
"There's really no nice way of saying the clothes are pretty bad their schools supplies if any are pretty bad," Harvey said.
"Greg thought it would be a good idea to get together and try to have a drive in the battalion," McDaniel said.
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With the help of companies based in Downtown LA, they collected hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies, which they donated to kids at the Union Rescue Mission.
"If they can get excited about education and learn, that might be the way that they can get off of Skid Row," McDaniel said.
For their efforts, the two firefighters were honored by the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. But they're quick to say they don't see their contribution as unique.
"Throughout the city we have thousands of members that are doing things like this every day ... that never gets notices so its nice that the fire department gets recognized," McDaniel said.
