Love Wall - Los Angeles

#HashtagLunchbag was spontaneously established on December 25, 2012. A group of friends in a Los Angeles apartment were struggling to find an innovative and synergistically meaning manner in which to support fellow Angelenos experiencing homelessness. After a few failed community outreach attempts, the groups of friends decided to create a unique giving experience.The group of friends went to their local grocery store and bought enough food to prepare 100 lunches. The friends connected with each other on a different level, while having the time of their lives! Through this jovial and meaningful effort, the friends connected with their communities on a different level as well. The group’s first distribution was near the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Boardwalk; the group connected with various individuals experiencing homelessness and hunger. The friends shared the meals they prepared and received insight into the experiences of their homeless neighbors. After the initial experience, the friends sought to share this experience with more of their friends — by repeating and expanding their efforts. Through social media platforms, the group tagged photos of their experiences with #HashtagLunchbag as an ode to hashtags and their efforts. Thus, the advocacy campaign and outreach project that is #HashtagLunchbag was initiated. They decided to repeat their #HashtagLunchbag efforts in January 2013. As the impact increased, the scope and goal of #HashtagLunchbag expanded. Eventually, #HashtagLunchbag set a goal of making 1,000 meals. 100 people arrived to support the effort, and 1,000 meals were successfully made and distributed. Additionally, group members added love notes of encouragement to each meal to further acknowledge the fellow humans the group members were feeding and connecting with, to remind their fellow Angelenos that they were visible and important community members.

The efforts have exponentially expanded to include over 35 chapters across the US and Asia. The organization has also had one-time events in various countries in Europe and Africa. The model has garnered the attention and support of multiple media and news outlets, thereby furthering the organization’s awareness and reach.

Attendance at public/open streets gatherings

Rates of volunteerism

Total number of local social media friends and connections Angelenos have

Central LA

East LA

San Gabriel Valley

San Fernando Valley

South LA

Westside

City of Los Angeles

#HashtagLunchbag would like support from the LA2050 initiative to expand the reach of their love, via a digital “love wall” installation, that will rotate through various communities within Los Angeles County. #HashtagLunchbag proposes that the “love wall” will remain in each community for a period of 3 connective months. The Love Wall will be strategically installed in protected areas, for large projections on buildings and throughout neighborhoods across Los Angeles County. In the tradition of the “love notes” placed in lunchbags during our #HashtagLunchbag events, people across Los Angeles County, and beyond, can upload love notes to the digital wall via an app. The user is given the chance to purchase lunch for someone experiencing homelessness, from afar, while spreading their message far & wide, through the wall projection, for a fee of $3 per note.

Phases:

App & digital wall development (2 months)

Community Partners & Business Collaboration

Social Media Marketing

Information about the population being served 


On any given day in Los Angeles County, there are approximately 53,000 people experiencing homelessness. The Love Wall strives to impact the mitigation of homelessness & serve a multitude of populations including, but not limited to, Angelenos experiencing homelessness; Angelenos looking to engage & connect with fellow community members, & serve fellow Angelenos experiencing homelessness; tourists visiting Los Angeles, who would like to further connect with & serve the Los Angeles community. The #HashtagLunchbag Love Wall lunch building experience will perpetuate further service driven activism & action oriented love, whether or not it is through the #HashtagLunchbag program.

A timeline of activities

The development of the application will be roughly 6 weeks, with the first installation to take place within 2 weeks following the completion of the application. We anticipate establishing locations for the wall to be temporarily installed, for three months at a time, beginning 6 months before the first official installation. We will be 18 months out for planning, so that locations have adequate time for preparation, and that the wall location calendar remains clear and organized.

How the project will make measurable progress towards making LA the best place to 
CONNECT:

The #HashtagLunchbag Love Wall is an extension of the Living Through Giving foundation’s mission to not only make a positive change, but to also promote and further a positive culture. Los Angeles will be the first city to house a moveable wall of love, connecting people via both technology and social media, providing organized acts of love. Through social media, the #HashtagLunchbag Love Wall will be able to gauge the impact and interest of users via their reactions, levels of participation, and sustained engagement, such as social media sharing, social media liking, repeat Love Wall visits to the same community rotation or to a different one.

Through social media, we will be able to gauge the engagement of users. Additionally, we will be able to track how many lunches are donated, and how many messages of love are submitted, based on the data we will receive from the custom designed application.

As an organization, we will be analyzing messages, as many will be inspired by the writers’ past, or life events they’ve experienced. The number of lunches purchased is a quantitative measure, while the content is qualitative.