Ellen DeGeneres gives back

From the minute you step foot into the Foothill Unity Center in Monrovia, some 25 miles east of L.A., you get the immediate sense that these people mean business. Sure, the guy greeting you at the door is pushing 90, but you learn soon enough that when it comes to Feeding America volunteers, they come in all ages, colors, sizes and creeds. Likewise, the center’s beneficiaries span every demographic. The person coming in for a cart full of basic groceries (a $10 donation equals 90 pounds of food) could be your neighbor, a friend, a teacher or anyone struggling to scrape by in a down economy.

Those were some of the lessons learned by “American Idol” judge Ellen DeGeneres upon visiting the center as part of “Idol Gives Back.” Her host? Actor David Arquette, who volunteers twice a week at the St. Joseph’s Center in Venice.”The old statistic was 1 in 8 Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” he explained. “Now, it’s 1 in 6. It went from 36 million to 49 million, so the numbers are increasing.”

Ellen’s response, like so many who confront the reality of hunger in this country: simply, “Crazy.”

The two made their way through the Costco-like aisles, flanked on all sides by crates of peanut butter, cereal, fruit, vegetables and rice. “We typically think of a soup kitchen,” David continued, “but there are 60,000 pantries like this one where they’re filling bags and carts full of groceries for people.” Indeed, Ellen was introduced to a family of five who are struggling to pay their bills on a junior high teacher’s salary. Or David offered a scenario just as close to home: “It could be an out-of-work actor who had to get some help with food so that he could pay his rent or gas for his car to get to auditions,” he said. “It is our neighbors.”

Added Ellen: “We have enough money and resources in this country, no one should be hungry…. Right now, a lot of people are struggling. We need this place.”

David will be in attendance at Wednesday’s “Idol Gives Back” special, both to represent the charity and as an “Idol” fan. It seems the show is must-see TV in David’s household. His Season 9 favorites? “I like the rock ‘n’ roll kid with the scratchy voice,” he said, referring to Lee DeWyze. “And I like the blond girl with the dreads” (Crystal Bowersox). Clearly, he’s not great with names. So how about the ladies in his life? Daughter Coco hasn’t invested herself in any one contestant, said David, but wife Courteney Cox is still lamenting one early elimination. “She had a favorite who got voted off and was a little upset about that,” said David, again hard-pressed to come up with a name. “She called him the mullet.” Say no more.

Text by Shirley Halperin. Credits to the Los angeles Times

Photo: (Top) Ellen DeGeneres and David Arquette are debriefed on Feeding America’s distribution method at the Foothill Unity Center in Monrovia. The two visited the food bank as part of “Idol Gives Back.” (Bottom) David Arquette and Ellen DeGeneres pose with volunteers and recipients. Credit: Ray Mickshaw / Fox