Feeding Hope, Restoring Human Connection

Affordable housing and homelessness

East LA

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Los Angeles is facing a profound humanitarian crisis, with over 75,000 individuals experiencing homelessness across the county, and more than 45,000 within the city limits. Concurrently, food insecurity continues to plague the region. As of October 2024, approximately 25% of L.A. County households—about 832,000—struggled to access sufficient food, with the rate increasing to 41% among low-income residents.
At Serve LA, we recognize that homelessness and food insecurity are not isolated problems but symptoms of systemic inequities. Our approach is rooted in compassion and community engagement, aiming to restore dignity and hope to those affected.
By transforming rescued food into over 1,000 nourishing meals each week and providing essential services like showers, clothing, and hygiene products, we create welcoming spaces where individuals feel seen and valued. Our efforts are guided by the belief that small, consistent acts of care can foster a more inclusive and thriving Los Angeles.

Serve LA’s “Nourish & Restore” initiative will scale our capacity to provide consistent, compassionate support to unhoused Angelenos by expanding three essential areas: our kitchen, shower program, and dining room space.
Each week, we transform rescued food into over 1,000 nourishing meals. However, the demand far exceeds our current kitchen's capabilities. With this grant, we’ll upgrade equipment and expand cold storage, increasing production by 50% and allowing us to serve more individuals while reducing food waste. Volunteers—many with lived experience of homelessness—will gain meaningful opportunities to serve and reconnect.
Currently, we offer showers two days per week, reaching over 200 guests each month. Still, regular opportunities to refresh and renew gives our guests an aspect of humanity many are lacking. Funding will allow us to double our shower service days, expand our hygiene infrastructure, and increase our compassion efforts—offering clean clothes, haircuts, hygiene kits, and moments of restoration.
Finally, our small dining room will be reconfigured to welcome 30% more guests and extend meal hours. More than a place to eat, this room fosters trust, dignity, and human connection.
Together, these expansions advance LA2050 goals by addressing basic needs and restoring a sense of belonging to those too often left behind.

If our work is successful, Los Angeles County will be a more compassionate, connected, and equitable place for its most vulnerable residents. Thousands more Angelenos will have access to hot meals made from rescued food, reclaiming not only calories but dignity. Access to showers, clean clothing, and grooming will no longer be a rare luxury, but a regular, reliable part of community care. Guests will gather in warm, welcoming dining spaces not just to eat, but to be connected.
Success means transforming the public imagination and replacing resignation with resolve. We will have nurtured the connection of trust between unhoused residents, volunteers, and service systems.
By scaling this model of high-impact, relationship-centered support, we envision a future for Los Angeles where no one is invisible, and every person, regardless of housing status, is met with dignity, nourishment, and hope. This is how we heal a city: one shared meal, one clean shower, one human connection at a time.