(420Times) We hear a lot in the media about neighbors who complain about medical marijuana dispensaries and who don’t want them near their homes or schools or churches, but unless you read independent media outlets like The 420 Times, you won’t hear many stories about all the great things dispensaries do and what they add to a community.

The folks representing Zen Healing Collective in West Hollywood, CA sent an email to my inbox yesterday detailing a great program they run, and it’s a good thing they did, because a Google News search of “Zen Healing Collective” returns ZERO stories about the this program. I would never have found it on my own.

[F]irst opened its doors to patients and the community in 2003, it has been known in West Hollywood for providing its patients an ample selection of the highest quality medication at the fairest prices; however, the patients are not the only ones benefiting from the services provided by Zen. Since 2006, every Saturday at Social Services at Blessed Sacrament in the heart of Hollywood, California, Zen Healing sponsors a barbeque feeding the homeless. Located at 6636 Selma Avenue, Hollywood, California 90028, they begin serving food at 10am and go until noon or when they run out of meals – whichever comes first.

Andrew Kramer, Zen Healing owner and local activist, says that he and Zen Healing are “seeking to make a difference in the community in more than one way.” Crediting word of mouth, the number of homeless that is served each Saturday has grown significantly – recently about 150 plates were passed out. Kramer explains that “according to Los Angeles Almanac, there are an estimated 254,000 men, women, and children that experience homelessness in Los Angeles County. That’s 254,000 mouths to feed. My hopes are that we can continue to feed more and more of those mouths.”