Reallocating Food to Those in Need

Housing and Homelessness

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Prior to Every Day Action, most food on film and TV sets was thrown out at the end of each meal. Hundreds of pounds of delicious proteins, vegetables, grains, and more were scraped into the dumpster, adding waste to our landfills, and CO2 emissions to our environment. In most cases this would happen just feet away from a shelter or someone unhoused struggling with food insecurity. Every Day Action was created to change the way Hollywood sees food waste. Led by a team actively working in the entertainment industry, we have an inside knowledge and understanding of our donors and their work. We "speak production" and approach food recovery with the same professionalism we do with our work on film sets. Los Angeles has abundant food supplies to help those struggling with food insecurity, they are just not being redistributed properly. Instead of cooking meals for those in need, we are using what has already been made and reallocating it from what would be trash to someone going without.

We are actively changing the conversation around food waste in Hollywood. Weekly we are saving an average of 2,500-7,500 meals, averaging around 60,000 annually, and delivering those meals directly to those across Los Angeles struggling with food insecurity. We serve a large geographic area, and an expansive demographic of people experiencing different levels of food insecurity. We have partnered with shelters to expand the hours they serve and the amount of food provided. Oftentimes the staff running shelters and housing projects are also struggling with food insecurity themselves; our hot food allows them to not only feed their residents but their employees, reducing their overhead costs and allowing them to have more reliable food on a more consistent basis. The meals we provide are not what is typically offered to the unhoused community. We are relocating gourmet catering that is nutritious and includes proteins, vegetables, grains, and more. Many of our beneficiaries complain of a lack of food variety in shelters and are regularly given sandwiches; with our food, they are enjoying a complete meal. With more financial support, we would be able to put more drivers on the road and add internal support to provide full balanced meals to a wide range of individuals in need and on a more regular basis.

In the short term, this funding will allow us to hire an additional driver to support our Production Assistant/Background Artist Driver Program and cover insurance costs and annual cargo van maintenance. This will increase our ability to address wage disparity within the industry and feed thousands in need simultaneously. In the longer term, we hope to rescue food daily from all LA-based film sets. We aim to have food trucks on the road actively serving free food to all struggling with food insecurity. In addition to production locations, we hope to eventually support other areas such as LAUSD, sporting events/concerts, corporate offices, restaurants, and more. With the state law SB1383, we are struggling to keep up with the support needed and that we could be providing. Additional funding would double our food-saving efforts yearly, helping to actively solve hunger issues from Santa Clarita to San Pedro. Eventually, we hope to expand our model to other cities across the U.S.

We service a 90 mile radius from Santa Clarita to San Pedro, bringing deliveries as close to the donation pickup as possible. We acquire meals from 4-15 sets daily and reallocate between 2,500-7,500 meals weekly. We currently track pick-up (film sets, grocery stores, etc.) and drop-off locations (homeless shelters, community fridges, other community organizations), and the amount of food reallocated. Qualitative feedback has been universally positive, with set staff grateful that they don't have to throw gourmet food into the dumpster and are happy that our drivers understand how to conduct themselves on a set. The organizations to which we donate are grateful for the extra food, and its quality, which gives clients nutritious and tasty options that go beyond the basics. Prepared meals disappear rapidly from community fridges, often in the time it takes us to finish unloading. We are reducing waste and filling needs for both the donating companies and those offering their services.