Project Food Distribution

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Quick Overview: To ensure proper nutrition for our unhoused neighbors, especially during this time of pandemic and while they await more permanent solutions to their housing struggles, the Midtown Los Angeles Homeless Coalition has devised a plan to engage local volunteers in a systematic deployment of bag lunches to our unhoused neighbors. Be sure to follow us on Instagram (@MIDTOWNCOALITION) where we will post important and upcoming information. Impact: The goal is to distribute a minimum of 2000 meals to individuals experiencing homelessness during a 4-month period. The Midtown Homeless Coalition will also be collecting clothing donations from community members and companies/organizations. The donations will be distributed by the volunteers (through the food distribution project) and to local non-profits and other organizations that provide services to our unhoused neighbors. Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities: Volunteers will be asked to prepare meals, do direct outreach, and provide meals regularly to our unhoused neighbors in the area. For now, until the program has a regular stream of volunteers, we are asking volunteers to both purchase and prepare bag lunches in their own homes, and also be willing to participate in distributing the meals to the local encampments. Contents of the meals will be high in protein, high in vitamin C, and will be generally easy to consume even for someone with poor dental health. Volunteers will prepare the bags of food and then deliver the bags to our central location at 6350 W 3rd Street, which is in the same plaza as Whole Foods. The space is in the old Payless storefront in between Whole Foods and the Britney Spears Experience. From there, volunteers will deploy throughout the area to drop the meals off to our unhoused neighbors throughout Midtown. All volunteers will be trained in safe practices for delivering food to people experiencing homelessness. In addition to the bag lunches, a summer resource guide will be distributed. This resource guide lists other food distribution centers throughout Los Angeles, as well as places to receive other vital services. The MHC will monitor locations where food is most needed through a variety of channels: weekly survey of outreach workers who serve our homeless community and individual reporting about sites encountered by Coalition members. The Coalition will use this information to direct distribution accordingly. Donations - Clothing and Other Necessities We will also be collecting clothing donations which will also be distributed by the volunteers. MHC will also be collecting donations from community members and companies/organizations. The donations will be handled by the food distribution volunteers and brought to our unhoused neighbors and local nonprofits that provide services in the community. Volunteers will be asked to sort and organize donations in addition to cleaning used clothing donations.