This Saturday they are expecting thousands of people. It will be a community celebration, full of hope, filled with children and their smiling faces after receiving their gifts.
It has been a little more than a year since I interviewed him. At that time, Pastor Eric R. Tietze enthusiastically shared with me how Heart of Compassion had dealt with the effects of the pandemic. Today, like many organizations that provide numerous services to the community, they are experiencing a similar and even more distressing situation.
“There is one thing the Lord has shown us, and that is that faith, helping, and sharing with others is the path to overcoming these kinds of situations. There is a lot of pain in the community, many people are hurt, they are struggling. What we have left is this moment of hope—to share it with the community,” the pastor says.
Excited about the event they will be holding this Saturday, Heart of Compassion is hosting its annual Christmas Toy Giveaway, bringing joy, dignity, and holiday cheer to hundreds of local children and families in need.
“We know it doesn’t solve their problems, but it helps bring a little peace, joy, and compassion. The children are happy, and that happiness is contagious. We try to share that feeling with them,” he adds. And although donations have declined, Tietze is counting on the solidarity of people who think like them in order to maintain the same level of support for the community.
“I’ve been doing this for thirty years. I’ve never had a specific plan. I have a vision, and thanks to the work we’ve done and the people who have joined our cause, we’ve been able to resolve things as they come. I can’t tell you what the future will be like—God has His timing. He gives us and allows us to carry out this kind of mission. I couldn’t explain it to you,” he says.
For this pastor of German and Mexican heritage, it is important that his organization—one of the largest in Southern California—become a place of refuge for those who need it and who are suffering due to the economy and the immigration situation.
“We try to offer different services and to be a place of refuge,” he says.
Seeing so many hundreds of people arrive at the center with so many needs puts his compassion and patience to the test. He says that these are times when holding another person’s hand is vital to getting through this period.
“Of course I get angry! Seeing ICE take women, good people, hardworking people, even seniors, makes me furious… Even God gets angry! But the key is to transform that anger into something positive. To move forward—we cannot remain stuck in these dark times. That’s what I try to do, to do my part. I want to be that light that illuminates those dark spaces,” he adds.
For Tietze, transforming anger into something positive is essential.
“We must not give the Devil that power. If we hold hands and help one another, this changes and is transformed into something that will help us. That’s why we have such expectations for events like the one this Saturday,” he says.
Talking with this pastor is like attending a religious service. His words are full of wisdom; he constantly quotes passages from the Bible and compares them to present-day situations.
“God showed us the power of forgiveness. If we practice it, that is what we will receive. If we practice hate, that is what we will receive,” he says. “Jesus suffered everything—they hung Him on the cross, tortured Him, and even so, He forgave everyone. When we learn to let go, we will have learned to be wiser.”
When he was 12 or 13 years old, Pastor Eric R. Tietze traveled with his family to the beaches of San Clemente, California. During one of those trips, he went swimming and felt like he was drowning. The water seemed to want to swallow him. And then he prayed.
“God, if you save me, I promise to become a priest, but save me,” he recalls saying while in the water.
And he was saved. Years later, the young teenager of Mexican and German descent became a pastor and the founder of one of the largest nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, Hearts of Compassion.
This organization, in addition to providing food pantries, also has sober living homes, job-skills development classes, and other services.
“A lot of people talk a lot about the problems the community is facing, the need for food, but they do nothing,” he previously shared with us.
For him, faith and religion are as necessary as living and breathing.
“We must have hope in the Lord’s timing—that’s what I share with the community. We must turn negativity around, connect, and make that string longer that will make us stronger. God will always open that door for us. God makes no distinction; He has shown us that from the beginning when He sacrificed His Son, Jesus, to reaffirm our faith,” he says. “I always tell those who come to our food bank, ‘God will never forget you.’”
This Saturday they are expecting thousands of people. It will be a community celebration, full of hope, filled with children and their smiling faces after receiving their gifts.
A year ago, he told me that at night he asked God to give him more time, because he still had many things left to do. And in this interview, he reaffirmed it.
“I sleep very peacefully. I know that when I die, I will go to an eternal place full of light. We all have an appointment with death. But I don’t think it ends there. Eternity is what awaits us, and we must be prepared for it. We must have faith in God, faith in Christ, pray with them, and understand.”
The Event
Christmas Toy Giveaway
December 20, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
600 S. Maple Ave., Montebello, CA 90640
Details:
DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, December 20, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM (or while supplies last)
Address: 600 S Maple Ave, Montebello, CA 90640
Get ready for a full day of holiday fun:
Toy Giveaway (child MUST be present, no exceptions)
Grocery Distribution (coming in personal vehicle HIGHLY recommended)
FREE Hot Dogs & Ice Cream
Beverage stations
Community Resource Stations
Kids’ Activities
Pastor Eric R. Tietze: “I did everything, but I had nothing. God changed that.”
