The Institute offers counseling for children traumatized by violence, or those who have lost parents. There are also arts and enrichment programs after school.

In another part of town, known as Skid Row, homeless men live in small encampments, and community workers come by to offer food and other help.

The homeless come to the Los Angeles Mission, a religious charity, for shelter and a meal. There is a room of computers, where they can look for work on the Internet.

Jason Hemming was homeless once and got help at the mission. He says it's rough on the streets at Christmas.

"You get sentimental about your family, looking back on childhood opening presents under the tree, things like that. And it brings back a lot of memories," said Hemming.

The homeless live a world apart from those who crave expensive gifts, says mission president Herb Smith. He says they have simple wants for the holidays - a warm pair of gloves, for example.

"Or they would like to get reunited with their family, a very basic human desire, if you will," said Smith. "Not a lot of Maseratis and Ferraris and all the special baubles that some of us think about at Christmas, but very basic human need and human desire."

Those who run these charities say the holiday season reminds people to reach out to others throughout the year.