Meet a Donor

The Kesslers are Partners in Life, in Business and in Charity

Not only are Joan and Skip Kessler life partners and business partners, they are partners in caring for L.A.’s homebound seniors. Together they have supported St. Vincent Meals on Wheels for 17 years.

Married for 31 years with two grown sons, these attorneys are partners in Kessler & Kessler A Law Corporation, a Century City boutique law firm representing corporate entrepreneurial clients.

Joan’s involvement with St. Vincent Meals on Wheels began in 1990, when she was asked by St. Vincent Medical Center to serve on the Hospital’s Foundation board, which supports the mission of the hospital and its affiliated programs.

“Soon after joining the board, I met Sister Alice Marie,” said Joan. And I was moved to hear how she feeds more than 2,700 people a day and still manages to cater to everyone’s individual needs and health preferences. I was so impressed by the magnitude of that task, I wanted to help.”

“Joan became involved first,” said Skip, “and then her stories about the program drew me in, and I had to be part of it. Sister Alice Marie is like the mother of a family, but her family numbers in the thousands, and they all live across Los Angeles.”

“Now you can see he’s as enthusiastic as I am,” said Joan. “It’s nice that we can share the good feeling it gives us to help Sister help others.”

Over the years, the Kesslers’ support has included giving the program a meal-delivery van. They are also major sponsors of the annual Beach Walk/Bike-a-Thon. Their family and their law staff also participate in this event to raise money for homebound seniors’ meals.

What keeps them involved year after year? For Joan, it’s the thought of sending lonely seniors a hot meal and a visit that may be their only human contact for the entire day.

Skip has a very personal reason. “When I was a boy, I heard about how both of my grandmothers would feed strangers during the Depression,” said Skip. “I would honor the memory of my grandmothers by helping to feed others.”

“Of all the causes we support, this one touches our hearts the most,” said Joan. “Sister Alice Marie is doing God’s work. As partners, Skip and I want to help her.”

See the Miracle Stories that donations like this have created.