Jennie Garth Spends Easter Handing Out Meals in LA’s Skid Row

Jennie Garth is spending some time giving back to the Los Angeles homeless community just ahead of Easter Sunday.

On Friday, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum, 51, appeared at an event at the Los Angeles Mission for its annual Easter event, joining other celebrity volunteers to hand out meals to unhoused community on Skid Row.

Garth, making an appearance alongside celebs like Nick Cannon, Denise Richards, Scheana Shay, and her former 90210 co-star Ian Ziering, spoke with PEOPLE ahead of the lunch event to discuss why she’s passionate about giving back to the L.A. community — as well as why she brought some special guests along this year.

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“The Mission is just sort of like a cornerstone of Los Angeles and being a part of helping them to provide service is an honor,” Garth said, reflecting on the Easter-themed event. “It’s always an honor to come and help. Just walking through the building — it’s so full of joy and hope and people are just so happy to be here and to be celebrating Easter.”

“There’s music, they’re getting haircuts, there’s balloons, carrots,” she continued, describing the atmosphere. “I mean, it’s so fun and festive in there and it just warms your heart to be able to be a part of it.”

Tagging along with the A Little Bit Country star to the service event were her three daughters, Luca, 26, Lola, 21, and Fiona, 17 — all of whom she shares with her ex-husband Peter Facinelli. The actress added that it’s important to her to show her kids why it’s important to “pay it forward” when it comes to community service.

“Every time I do a volunteer opportunity, I try to take as many of my kids with me as I can because they love to give back and we love to do it together,” Garth said. “And I think it’s just a good thing to keep, keep in their minds that the importance of giving back and providing service. You know, we’re so fortunate and it’s really important to me to pay it forward.”

Garth also spoke about the importance of spending time with her 90120 family — particularly Ziering, the actress said that “it’s the highlight of my day, seeing Ian.”

“He didn’t even recognize my one of my daughters because they grow so fast,” she said of keeping in touch with her former co-star. “Just seeing our kids grow up is just crazy.”

“We have a cast text chain that will always just kind of shoot each other questions,” she revealed of her 90210 castmates, telling PEOPLE that the alums always ask each other what sort of gigs they’re working on and get life updates from each other.

“[I’m] staying in touch with Ian because he just cracks me up,” she added with a laugh.

When asked about another one of her relationship with longtime friend and former castmate Tori Spelling, she added that the two had a friendship that is “kind of unbreakable.”

“We bonded — Forged a really strong, unique friendship at such a young age and that kind of bond doesn’t ever go away,” she said of Spelling, who filed for divorce from her husband Dean McDermott after 18 years of marriage on Friday.

“… I’ve always stood beside her, behind her, supported her and I will always continue to do that,” she finished.