Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has been serving the LA community since 1973. Currently 1.4 million people in LA experience food insecurity, meaning they’re unsure where their next meal will come. According to the LA Food Bank site, the organization has distributed more than 1 billion pounds of food to people in need and volunteers are always welcome.
By: Mario Rivas
I recently had the chance to volunteer at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (www.lafoodbank.org) as part of “Studio Day,” during which employees from across the entertainment industry’s major studios come together to help. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank acquires food and other products and distributes them to needy people through charitable agencies or directly through programs, as well as conducting hunger education and awareness campaigns and advocating for public policies that alleviate hunger.
Mario Rivas at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank
My volunteer event was held at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank distribution center in the city of Commerce, just south of LA. It’s a (very) large warehouse. The objective was to put together boxes (or “food kits”) for seniors in LA County. Each kit contained pasta, fruits and vegetables, milk, peanut butter, and other essentials. As this was the 5th year for “Studio Day,” the event was well-attended and well-organized. TheLos Angeles Regional Food Bank event took place on a Saturday morning and I was able to park in the warehouse’s parking, but there was ample street parking as well. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank had bathrooms and water was provided. We arrived around 9, were given a brief introduction and orientation, and were then assigned to stations along an assembly line-type operation.
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There were 8-10 lines. I was at the end of one doing QC, which involved checking that every box had the right items in it, taping it up, and stacking it in palettes. The event lasted about 2 ½ hours. There was some chit-chatting with fellow Los Angeles Regional Food Bank volunteers early on in the day, but there really was no stopping once we got going! (Although people were encouraged to take brakes and hydrate as needed.) It was definitely very physical, but also very satisfying, and quite eye-opening to see the scale of the operation and to think that this process must be repeated week after week.
I’d definitely recommend volunteering at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and will be interested to go back during one of their “regular” volunteer ops.