Angie Escobedo sliced up some turkey and cheese for her next customer in line at the deli counter — quite a large amount of turkey and cheese — and when the customer told her what he was doing, she came from behind the counter and followed him to the register to pay.
Canyon Country resident Tim Gobi, 46 years old and the founder, song writer and lead vocalist of the local band KingsXecutioner, said he’s been using proceeds from his band to buy fresh food for the homeless for the past five years. He’ll pick up various items, including sliced meats and cheeses from a deli in the area, prepare sandwiches and put together lunches, and then drive it downtown to homeless people, who he calls his people.
“I spend $600 a month in food and gas to get to my people — some proceeds (from the band), some out of my pocket,” Gobi wrote in an email to The Signal. “I do this every Friday (and) Saturday morning. The lunches are put together consisting of two turkey sandwiches, a banana, a ZBar protein bar and a bottle of water.”
Gobi recently went to the Stater Bros. market on Sierra Highway in Canyon Country to buy some goods from the deli there, and was more than thrilled with the service he received.
“The lady at the deli — her name is Angie — asked me why I was buying so much turkey and cheese,” Gobi said, “and I told her the homeless project I do every Saturday. Angie said she wished she could do what I do. Lo and behold, when she was done, she asked if she could walk up to the register and pay for the turkey and cheese she just sliced. I was floored, and she was happy to help.”
Escobedo, 61, who’s worked at the Stater Bros. deli for 16 years, said she was really taken aback by Gobi’s caring and generosity.
“I didn’t do this for recognition or anything other than to help those in need,” she told The Signal over the telephone during her lunch break earlier this week. “Because my mom always taught me, you know, if you can help those the way you want to be helped some day in some situation, then why not give a helping hand?”
A resident of Santa Clarita since just after the earthquake of January 1994, she relocated from North Hollywood to the Santa Clarita Valley with her husband because the couple felt it was just time to move. She and her husband loved the area, the generous people and the schools for their growing family.
“I feel blessed for having healthy children who are smart enough to go out there and work on their own and better themselves,” Escobedo said. “And if we’re able to — with what we have — help those who are in need, then why not step out of our little comfort zones and just reach out and touch somebody else’s heart and say, ‘Hey, don’t worry, I’m here for you.’”
Gobi said he puts together about 280 sandwiches a month, and that he’s spent about $40,000 on food for the homeless over the years. While this work is something he typically does on his own with his band, he welcomed Escobedo’s own charity.
“Angie truly is a diamond in the rough,” Gobi said, adding that it’s too bad more people don’t feel the same.
“A lot of the population shuns the homeless,” Gobi continued. “People drive by their encampments and throw out trash and profanities, people walk over people like they don’t exist. I’ve seen judges, doctors, lawyers and professional people lose it. I believe I could make a huge difference for the homeless, given the chance. That’s why the band works so hard to reach a world-class-phenomena status, so we can tackle this problem globally. This is our mission.”
To donate to Gobi’s cause, go to his band’s website at KingsXecutioner.com, and then click on “The Market Place” to find where to click to donate directly.
