For over 20 years, Food on Foot (www.foodonfoot.org) has been assisting the homeless around the Hollywood area by providing nutritious meals, clothing, work opportunities and ultimately the transition to full-time employment and life off the streets. It is a 100% donor and volunteer driven organization.
By: Mario Rivas
As a volunteer, you help distribute food and clothing to up to 200 poor and homeless people in Hollywood. (Children ages 6 and up are welcome to attend.) You will also get a chance to meet and hear stories from the homeless participants in our Work for Food program. Through this program, Food on Foot helps the homeless leave the streets with a life-skills education, a full-time job, housing they can afford, and the confidence needed to make their accomplishments long-lasting.
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One of the things that I like about volunteering at Food on Foot is how hands-on it is. Volunteers take positions along a food line and you hand out items as people come along. As gets pointed out before the distribution begins, not everyone there is technically homeless. Many people are families hovering on the poverty line for whom even one hot meal a day can make a huge difference. FOF hands out an assortment of food items, including fruits and vegetables. There is also donated clothing, which people are welcome to take. At the end of the distribution, volunteers stick around to watch as the homeless who are part of FOF’s Work For Food program are rewarded. Every week, someone is chosen as the worker of the week, and there’s also a worker of the month. They’re given gift cards and eventually–if they’ve demonstrated real commitment, work ethic, and punctuality–FOF helps them transition into actual jobs. I myself have been present to see members of the Work For Food crew “graduate” into real paying jobs and even off the streets and into their own apartments, which can be very emotional.
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Volunteering takes place every Sunday from 3:15pm to 5:00pm at their serving location in Hollywood (1625 N. Schrader Blvd) and REQUIRES a $25 donation per person, which covers the cost of food that will be distributed that day, as well as food gift cards and prizes given to the top workers in FOF’s Work for Food program. Parking is available on site (tell the Work For Food member you’re there to volunteer), although street parking is also available. To volunteer, sign up at FOF’s website, but keep in mind their opportunities DO FILL UP weeks in advance, so plan accordingly.