Friends In Deed Hires Development Director to Strengthen Fundraising

Friends In Deed, the interfaith nonprofit that has served Pasadena’s homeless and at-risk communities since 1894, has hired Favio Tello as its new Director of Development and Communications.

Tello, a University of California, Berkeley graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media studies, brings experience in nonprofit fundraising and health care advocacy to a role responsible for the organization’s donor relations, community partnerships, and public messaging, according to Friends In Deed. The organization described his arrival as coming at a critical moment for Pasadena, where demand for community-based services remains high.

Friends In Deed operates five programs from its headquarters at 444 East Washington Boulevard: a food pantry serving more than 600 households weekly, The Women’s Room daytime shelter, a Bad Weather Shelter, a Street Outreach and Housing team, and an Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance program. The organization is a registered 501(c)(3) led by Chief Executive Officer Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater, who has headed the nonprofit since 2017.

In a biography published on the organization’s website, Tello said he is committed to strengthening sustainable funding, expanding community partnerships, and ensuring that the organization’s mission remains visible and supported. Friends In Deed said on its Instagram account that Tello leads with dignity and collaboration, and believes that development work extends beyond raising revenue to fostering meaningful, long-term relationships.

The organization was founded in 1894 when local congregational leaders united to address poverty in Pasadena, according to Friends In Deed’s website. It became a nonprofit in 1946 and built its current facility at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Los Robles Avenue in 1978. The organization was named California’s Nonprofit of the Year for Senate District 25 in 2021 by Senator Anthony Portantino and Nonprofit of the Year in 2023 by Congresswoman Judy Chu.

The Eaton Fire, which began January 7, 2025, destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena and killed at least 19 people. Friends In Deed was among more than 40 nonprofits that received grants from the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Fire Relief and Recovery Fund. The foundation granted $175,000 to Friends In Deed for cash assistance and rental subsidies for fire-affected families, according to the Pasadena Star-News.

Tello can be reached at faviot@friendsindeedpas.org or 626-797-2402, ext. 202. More information about Friends In Deed is available at friendsindeedpas.org.

The organization, which employs between 11 and 50 staff members according to its LinkedIn page, recently expanded its board with four new members in late 2025. Tello’s hire is the latest addition to the organization’s leadership as Friends In Deed approaches its 132nd year of service to the Pasadena community.