Guy Worden (aka Trevor Worden) is developing a reputation as a DJ who is certainly willing to support a good cause.
In late 2013, Worden put together a successful benefit show called “Art for the Homeless” for the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. At 9 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, Saturday, Feb. 14, he’ll be doing another show for the mission at The Hood Bar and Pizza.
Worden has been a DJ for 16 years, after originally starting in the San Diego area. He’s made a name for himself in the Coachella Valley thanks to appearances at various local festivals, as well as his art-themed shows at which he collaborates with other DJs. However, giving back to the community is also important to him. He explained his admiration for the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission.
“Last year, when I started the Art for the Homeless show, I called over there, and I got transferred to Scott Wolf; Scott is their community relations manager. I toured the facility, and what they do is amazing,” Worden said. “It’s not what I thought of at all. It’s super-clean; they have residences for families and individuals; and they have programs that help people get back on their feet. Once somebody graduates from their program, they get leads on jobs. They can work for the shelter if they apply and qualify. They also get the gift certificates for the clothing boutique they run, and vouchers for furniture.”
For last year’s show, Worden stressed the need for clothing and food donations.
“I managed to get enough clothing and food to fill my SUV completely. I couldn’t even have a passenger, because my passenger seat was filled,” he said.
This year, he’s asking people to donate hygiene products such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, shaving razors and so on. He will also be selling raffle tickets.
“Food and clothing is still accepted, but they’re in real need of the hygiene products,” Worden explained. “What I’m going to do is also sell raffle tickets, and I’m going to use the donation money to purchase those products. Right now, I have about eight to 10 artists who are going to contribute pieces of art as raffle prizes. Tommy Bahama is going to throw in a gift certificate; The Hood is going to throw in a gift certificate; Venus Art Supply is going to throw in a gift certificate; and Bloodline Tattoo is going to throw in a gift certificate, which will all be raffle prizes as well.”
DJs who will be appearing include The Deep Ones, Synthetix, J-Sizzle and artists from the Desert DJ Entertainment Group.
Scott Wolf, of the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, praised Worden for his efforts.
“He’s a great guy, and we’re so grateful for everything he’s done for us and grateful for all his support,” he said. “He’s a true friend of the mission.”
Wolf said the mission serves more than 200,000 meals and provides about 72,000 nights of safe shelter per year.
“We have our emergency overnight shelter,” he said. “We have two different case-management residency in-house programs; one is faith-based, and one is secular. Within those programs, we have 150 beds. In addition to the 150 beds, we also have an additional 75 beds as emergency shelter for those who are not staying with us full-time. … If you take into account that there are 150 people who eat three meals a day here, plus an additional 75 who sleep here each night who get breakfast and dinner, plus all the folks who don’t shelter with us that just eat and leave, we’re talking about 650 plates a day, easy. If you take 650 and multiply that times 365, you have more than 237,000 meals.”
The Coachella Valley Rescue Mission is supported by private donations, both monetary and items such as clothing, food and other products. The facility has an executive chef and several volunteers who help with various tasks.
“About 95 percent of the food that the executive chef procures is donated to us,” Wolf said. “For the last fiscal year, we had over 1,600 volunteers log about 70,000 volunteer hours. We are more than 90 percent privately funded, and … that means people such as you and I find it in their hearts to support our cause and write a check.”
Social-service providers can’t keep up with the demand for services in the Coachella Valley, Wolf said.
“We see an ever-growing need every day to serve the homeless community in the valley. We see so many people who need help. We continually see fresh faces every day,” he said. “The problem of homelessness is not just something that’s going to go away. We need the materials and the funding to do this, and we can’t do it without the support of the community.”
For more information on Guy Worden, visit www.facebook.com/guywordenmusic. For more information on the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, visit www.cvrm.org.