The past two years have been incredibly challenging for the work of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and our many partners. With a population of 10 million residents, the pandemic impacted Los Angeles County significantly. At the peak of the pandemic, the Food Bank and our partner agencies were reaching more than 1 million people every month – one-tenth of LA County’s population.
The Food Bank’s pandemic response has provided more than 325 million pounds of food and product, the equivalent of 257 million meals with a value of more than $470 million. Emergency food boxes consisting of fresh produce, shelf-stable products, and frozen protein items have been critical to our response, thanks to our dedicated volunteers who have packed, shipped and distributed this critical assistance throughout LA County. As of April 2022, the Food Bank’s distribution volume is still more than double that of the pre-pandemic era.
INFLATION AND NUTRITION INSECURITY
Today, as the employment situation has improved dramatically, 800,000 people continue to seek food assistance from the Food Bank and our partners each month. As people and communities begin to emerge from the pandemic, many obstacles stand in the way, especially the increase in inflation. People hoping to get ahold of their damaged finances now face higher prices, putting even more pressure on their already tight budgets.
Families who live paycheck to paycheck struggle to survive an unexpected expense like a mechanical failure in their vehicle. People sometimes opt to skip meals or medication to make ends meet and keep a roof over their heads. Parents nourish themselves with only what is left over after the children have eaten. CalFresh benefits would often only last the first two weeks of the month, but as food prices increase, these same families are purchasing less before the food runs out. As a result, the number of people relying on the LA Regional Food Bank and our partners remains high, only coming down modestly from the pandemic’s peak.
Inflation has also impacted the work of the Food Bank. Fortunately, because the vast majority of the Food Bank’s food and grocery items are donated (87% in 2021), the impact on these items has been manageable. However, the Food Bank does purchase some commodity items that are not as readily donated, and the cost of transporting food and grocery items to and from the Food Bank has become more expensive due to the increase in fuel costs.
When fuel and production costs are higher for companies with traditional customers, they often raise prices and pass the cost increases on to consumers. The Food Bank provides food and grocery items to people in need in our community for free and absorbs the cost, putting additional pressure on operating budgets.
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
There has always been a need for food assistance, especially here in Los Angeles County. If the need for a strong food bank wasn’t clear enough already, the pandemic demonstrated how critical food banks are in disaster response. Investing in food banks is critical for every community, including Los Angeles County.
In August of 2020, the Food Bank purchased a 256,000 square foot warehouse in the City of Industry. This facility is now under renovation and will be converted into a state-of-the-art food distribution center, and will help the Food Bank close more of the meal gap than ever before. This investment now will reduce hunger in our community and contribute to nutrition security for the families and individuals who need it. This investment will also fortify LA County against hunger during future natural disasters like fires, earthquakes and disease outbreaks.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank relies on the generosity of our community, and our work is made possible through incredible partnerships. Our 600+ partner agencies; our tens of thousands of volunteers and donors; our relationships with corporations, foundations and state and local governments – everyone plays an essential role in the health of our community.
As the local economy continues to recover, there is no downtime for people experiencing nutrition insecurity. We will continue to focus on families and people left behind – many of whom live in communities with even fewer resources than before the pandemic. The Food Bank and our partner agencies continue to have our work cut out for us, and we will look for new innovative ways to increase our collective impact to help make all of the communities of Los Angeles County healthy and strong. Together, #WeFeedLA.
Michael Flood is president/CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Learn more at lafoodbank.org.
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