The COVID-19 pandemic, and its economic shutdown, placed millions of Americans in financial crisis. In Los Angeles County, where 27% of lower-income households experienced food insecurity, resulting in job layoffs exacerbated an already critical situation. As a result, food insecurity skyrocketed, adding a huge new population of food insecure to the county’s ranks, many of whom did not qualify or use federal food assistance programs.
Read the full report describing the project: Topline Report
The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic shutdown placed millions of Americans in financial crisis. In Los Angeles County, over 1/3 of Los Angeles County residents reported being food insecure.
To address this crisis the Los Angeles County Food Security Branch partnered with the Public Health Institute (PHI), to assemble a cross-sector group to establish the #LetsFeedLACounty Food Voucher Program to aid County residents, including immigrant households and college students, who were at risk of hunger and exclusion from other forms of assistance. Two programs of the PHI, the Center for Wellness and Nutrition and Roots of Change, provided the leadership, program expertise, evaluation services, and fiscal management for this rapidly moving program.
This multi-faceted team of experts, including partner Wholesome Wave and 19 community-based organizations, delivered nearly $22 million in nutrition benefits in just nine weeks using the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. The program enrolled about 30,000 families, reaching over 95,000 individuals during this crisis.
Access the one-pager: Creating an Emergency Feeding Program in the Midst of a Global Pandemic
Food and Nutrition security continues to impact many families across the United States, even as recovery from the pandemic has begun. Whether your local needs are big or small, emergency or prevention—we can help communities deploy strategies to increase access to healthy foods through dignity and choice. Our team of experts has national experience in implementing innovative and powerful strategies using a health equity framework.
For more information, contact Amy DeLisio.