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Tossing Food into the Hands of the Hungry

The L.A. City Council is attempting to make donating surplus food as prevalent as 
               recycling.

Needy families gather at an East Los Angeles church to pick up surplus food donations Monday through Friday.

“When I was growing up we were kind of poor, so this would have helped us out a lot,” said Fernando Garza, who has been volunteering at the Resurrection Catholic Church’s food distribution for two years.

He said donations have gone up little by little as families continue struggling to meet ends meet in the economic downturn.

Torrance Bakery has been helping their cause by donating rolls and pastries left over at the close of each business day.

“Somebody comes so we don’t have to throw it away,” said bakery owner Kirk Rossberg.

Adults from the St. Vincent de Paul Society at the Nativity Catholic Church collect the surplus food and the nearby convent of nuns transport it to the distribution site.

                The Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a similar program for all of its departments to give extra food to the L.A. Regional Foodbank and local non-profits that serve the hungry.

“It highlights the fact that food is going to waste in Los Angeles County while there are hungry people and that’s a problem,” said Jessica Jones, the policy and outreach supervisor for the L.A. Regional Foodbank. “It’s going to require a few different program designs to hit the need from all angles, but this is a really good start.”

By partnering up with Help Feed L.A., an advocacy group working to end hunger in Los Angeles, the council members said they hope to make donating food as common and accessible as recycling. The logistics are currently being fine-tuned by the council’s chief legislative analyst, who is expected to release his report this month.

In Los Angeles, five million tons of food are wasted every year, according to Rick Coca, Councilman Jose Huizar’s spokesman. 

“How do we better utilize perfectly good food? We want it to fill stomachs,” Coca said. “We can’t allow people to fall through the cracks because they might not make it back up. We need to protect folks that are most vulnerable.”
                 Local landmarks are stepping up to the plate to help.  Dodger Stadium donates all leftover hot dogs to the Midnight Mission after each home game, according to Michael Kelly, the mission's public affairs assistant.
                 Because of the economic downturn, demand for food assistance has risen nearly 50 percent in the last four years, Jones said. Ten percent of county residents, or one million people, sought out emergency food services in the last year alone, she added.
                “Especially in a tough economy we know two things happen: need goes way up while actual donations go down,” Coca said. “Any time that we as a city government can step in and help… we definitely should.”

With federal and state Good Samaritan laws already in place, people do not have to fret about liability for food they donate in good faith.

“There shouldn’t be any concern in the public about donating food,” Jones said. “People will be paying attention to whether or not it’s good food. It’s not just going to go straight to somebody.”

The kitchen supervisor at the Los Angeles Mission, a homeless shelter in the Skid Row area of downtown, doesn’t think the program will make a significant difference.

“I don’t see it happening, not coming from the City Council,” Reid Francis said. “I don’t believe it.”

Donations to the L.A. Mission are a “small percentage when it comes down to it,” according to Francis.  He said they buy most food at government-subsidized rates from the Foodbank.

The mission serves 1,800 to 2,000 meals daily, which add up to nearly 600,000 meals a year, according to its director of community partnership, Ivan Klassen. (To see mealtime at the L.A. Mission, check out this photo slideshow.)

“They serve good food down here,” said Larry Green, a homeless man who received a hot dinner from the mission.

“We do it every day, breakfast, lunch and dinner,” said 50-year-old L.A. Mission resident Anthony Gatica.

He said the kitchen staff pumps out a lot of food each day to feed the homeless off the streets as well as the shelter’s residents and employees.

“It feels good giving, serving others,” Gatica said. “Before I die I want to do something with my life. I’m glad I made that step.”

The City Council is also taking that step to help the hungry.

“Every little bit helps,” said Darren Hoffman, communications director at the L.A. Regional Foodbank. “We’re hoping it’ll pick up.”