Los Angeles, CA – The COVID-19 outbreak around the globe has brought out the best in humanity, precisely in the name of giving. With so many people’s lives and communities greatly impacted by the coronovirus, outreach and philanthropic efforts to help others has been an outlook on how it takes a village to make it all work.
With that in mind, local unions in Southern California, have banded together with volunteers to show love to their fellow man. South Los Angeles recently received a taste of this charitable outreach. On Friday, April 17, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, in collaboration with Labor Community Services, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and Los Angeles Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson (CD-8) held a food distribution at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza for more than 2,000 families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
By 8 a.m., a line of cars stretched over a mile with families waiting to receive food. Recipients went home with a 36-pound box of non-perishable food as well as bag of pears or oranges, and a bag of frozen poultry.
“Our current crisis brings to light the fragile safety net given to working people in Los Angeles and across our nation,” said Armando Olivas, Director of Labor Community Services. “Our families are hurting and our communities are in dire need of help. But together with our partners and Councilmember Marqueece Harris Dawson, we are able to get people the food and services they need.”
“Our volunteers continue to astonish me,” said Ron Herrera, President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. “Even through a pandemic, it’s our union members on the frontlines and the community that stands together to help our most vulnerable. As the need grows, the Los Angeles labor movement will continue to answer the call to help working families.”
Over 20 unions were represented among the volunteers including the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Los Angeles/Orange County Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Teamsters.
“While seeing the increased need in our community is sobering, we are fortunate to have strong partners in the fight against hunger,” said Michael Flood, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. “We are grateful for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and our other partners who are working hard to make sure people in our community get the food that they need.”
Over the last three weeks, the partnership between the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Labor Community Services, and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has helped feed over 30,000 families, or 120,000 individuals, all across Los Angeles County with food distributions in Commerce, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Inglewood, Covina, among others.
The largest distribution to date, held on Friday, April 10 at the Forum in Inglewood, CA fed over 7,200 families.
The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO is the coalition of over 300 affiliates, representing over 800,000 union members in the public and private sectors and in every industry such as retail, construction, medical, education, and many more.
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