Fresh Produce Supports Residents in Need

Diana Hernandez and her mom, two brothers and niece had never lacked food in their Los Angeles home — until the pandemic hit.

Her mom, the breadwinner since her father died in a car accident four years ago, couldn't find much work cleaning houses. So the family struggled financially and worried about having enough food on the table.

But every Wednesday the past few months, a box filled with fresh fruits, vegetables and other produce has been delivered to their home as part of the American Heart Association's collective efforts with various supporters and local community organizations.

Volunteers assemble the produce boxes weekly at Manual Arts High School in South Los Angeles, where Hernandez recently graduated, and deliver them to a few hundred families with no transportation. An additional 2,000 boxes are distributed on site.

Hundreds more boxes are distributed weekly at the Weingart YMCA in Boyle Heights and the Food Pharmacy at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance.

Since March 2020, more than 30,000 people have been served through grab-and-go sites and deliveries in East and South Los Angeles.

"The produce box delivery gave us a sense of security and we didn't have to worry about where our food was coming from that day," Hernandez said.

About 2 million residents in Los Angeles County regularly experience food insecurity — more than any county in the nation. The social and economic impact of COVID-19 has further exacerbated the problem.

"A lot of people don't understand that living in a food desert, we rarely have any farmers markets," Hernandez said. "I live around a lot of fast food areas and at any moment you can eat unhealthy food for a dollar. We should make it so that vegetables and fruit are more affordable and accessible."

Besides providing fresh food, the AHA has been leading or supporting other efforts to address food insecurity in under-resourced Los Angeles neighborhoods. This includes improving the business infrastructure and capacity of local corner stores to offer affordable, healthy food options. Those who collaborated in the project include Food Forward, FarmLink, CAULIPOWER, Keck Medicine of USC, USC Civic Engagement, Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Weingart YMCA, Adventist Health, SEE-LA, Albertsons/Pavilions/Vons, Manual Arts High School, Chicas Verdes, Penske, Mano a Mano, Los Angeles Football Club, Dual Synergy Media, South LA Café, Grandma Louisa’s Gift, World Harvest Food Bank, AWA Oasia, Kelly Meyer, Stuart Smith and Gail Becker, and Brad and Shawn White.