Working together with community-based organizations to bring food assistance to families hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Los Angeles Grocery Voucher Program (2023-2024)

The Los Angeles (LA) Grocery Voucher Program, supported by the LA County Department of Public Health, was established to address rising food insecurity due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The ARPA-funded LA Grocery Voucher Program reached communities in LA County that were deeply burdened by the economic impact of the pandemic and were underserved by existing government assistance programs (such as CalFresh/SNAP/EBT benefits). The program distributed over $15 million in food benefits to over 19,500 households. Program participants received their food benefit via a restricted voucher or gift card or via food boxes delivered directly to their home. Eight LA County community-based organizations (CBOs) were trained to recruit and enroll participants. The CBOs were selected due to their reach in the community and experience administering similar programming. 

“My income was unable to meet our needs as a family. So sometimes after paying rent and other utility bills, we were barely able to eat enough. We stopped marking any celebrations at home as we managed to survive. Now imagine how alleviating it felt, when a neighbor told me about Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND) giving out a grocery voucher. I was so excited because it came like an answered prayer. When I got my gift cards, I went straight to the store and got a big cake for my son to celebrate his birthday, which has been skipped for a long time and now coincidentally was the next day. In addition, I was also able to get food for the house. Thank you for this act of kindness.” – MEND Client

#LetsFeedLA County Food Voucher Program (2020-2021)

#LetsFeedLA was a similar version of the Voucher Program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to address the urgent need for feeding families hit hardest by pandemic-related job-loss and disruptions. Nineteen LA CBOs distributed over $22 million dollars in grocery vouchers and food boxes to 30,000 families. Read more about this large, rapid-response program below.