photographed & produced by DANIELLE CHARBONNEAU 

About 500 people passed through Gladys Park for the 5th annual Skid Row Arts Festival on Oct. 18 and 19. The festival — co-hosted by the Los Angeles Poverty Department and LAMP Arts Community — celebrated the creative talent of homeless and formerly homeless residents of Skid Row.  One of the bands featured at the festival was The Melting Pot, led by Franc Foster. Danielle Charbonneau was there, listening to how music empowers lives, like that of Melting Pot member Kenneth Adams, who shared how learning to play the guitar changed his life.