Los Angeles World Harvest Food Bank Cares About Feeding People

Los Angeles World Harvest Food Bank provides nutritious, organic food items to more than 500,000 individuals and 75,000 families each year. Nearly 40% of the people served by the Los Angeles World Harvest Food Bank network are children, another 8.1% are elderly, and 31.8% of the families are working but struggling to make ends meet. Decreasing the ever growing number of families and individuals in need of food and basic necessities is the goal. Due to COVID19, high unemployment numbers, and uncertainty of how bills will get paid, families are in need of programs like WHFB. Helping families and individuals eat nutritiously and sustain a healthy diet is the goal during these unprecedented difficult times.

WHFB currently distributes an average of half a million pounds of food monthly through the facility with 200 plus partner agency which includes food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and after school programs for children. WHFB primary role in the program will be to acquire the necessary components of the boxes, assemble and distribute these boxes to organizations, families, and individuals in the food insecure spectrum. WHFB has identified subcontractors we intend to partner with to expand the Food Box Program. Subcontractors include growers, producers, processors, distributors, “last mile'' entity/distributors. WHFB will take the lead to work with all entities to procure food box contents and coordinate arrangements for the distribution logistics for the end users. Although WHFB has a store that participants can come to and replenish their food supplies, there is a large community that are unable to travel to the store. Working with social service agencies, churches, schools and community groups WHFB will bring the food to them. WHFB has transport vehicles to be able to distribute food boxes and care packages to communities.

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

WHFB vision to feed as many people in need as possible, without any stigmatism that is associated with Food Banks. Food is available and with proper funding WHFB will be able to get the food into the household that need it the most. By reducing the waste of food or essential l living items that would otherwise be discarded due to surplus and draw from our financial resources to achieve our mission to extend WHFB services to underserved communities. WHFB primary role in the program will be to acquire the necessary components of the boxes, assemble and distribute these boxes to organizations, families, and individuals in the food insecure spectrum. WHFB will take the lead to work with all entities to procure the food box contents and coordinate arrangements for the distribution logistics for the end users

WHFB is able to track and document the amount of food and household necessities. In addition tracking is done for the distribution to the households and agencies we assist. We currently distribute an average of 25 million pounds of food through our facility and our 200+ partner agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and after school programs for children. This is a small number compared to the availability of food that is currently able to be provided and the number of people in need.