Large Donation of Protein Products will help Local Neighbors in Need

On Community Tuesday, Los Angeles Chargers Geremy Davis, Desmond King II, Uchenna Nwosu, Scott Quessenberry and staff, Albertsons staff and Carson High School football players volunteered to provide Food Bank partner agencies with cases of poultry donated by Tyson Foods, which will be distributed to local community members facing food insecurity.

Coming Together on Community Tuesday

On September 24, 2019, agencies, food donors, volunteers and Food Bank staff all came together at Dignity Health Center to increase access to healthy food for neighbors in need. Everyone worked together to distribute 37,000 pounds of protein product directly to agencies who were extremely grateful to be part of the event.

“It brings me joy to come out here and give back to the community,” said Desmond King II, Defensive Back for the Los Angeles Chargers. “Growing up in my neighborhood in the inner city of Detroit, we didn’t have a lot of people giving back to the community, back to the city. So having that platform now, I’m able to do that.”

“The Food Bank would like to thank the Los Angeles Chargers, Tyson Foods and Albertsons Companies for being here,” said Michael Flood, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. “It’s a great event to provide this really important protein product to 20+ of our agency partners. We are so happy to be a part of it; It’s going to help tens of thousands of individuals that are served through our agency network.”

A Huge Impact

Lyssa White, an agency representative from Behavior Health Services, was among those lining up early to receive the donation. She said the donation would be valuable in serving their residential clients, many of whom have special diets.“Donations from the Food Bank come in very handy because we are able to serve all of our clients for the holidays.”

For many of the Food Bank’s 600+ charitable agency partners, resources are limited. The majority of these agencies provide more than food assistance in order to respond to their community’s unique needs. Receiving food from the Food Bank not only enables them to feed their clients and community members but provides some financial relief which allows them to expand other programs and services.

Not only does volunteering help the recipients, but it is enriching for participants and King said it can even be a great team-building exercise. “It’s always good to see guys, especially black males, going out into the city to give back to the community and being active in the community,” he said, nodding toward the high school volunteers who did a hefty share of the heavy lifting.

Partners for Life

The reason the Food Bank is able to serve 300,000 people every month is that there are partners like Albertsons Companies and Tyson Foods that demonstrate their commitment in the fight against hunger not only through food donations but through campaigns, fundraisers and through employee engagement.

“We are really excited to be out here today with like-minded partners,” said Loyelle Ellis, Customer Development Manager for Tyson Foods. “To create awareness about the opportunity to end hunger in our communities as well as actually do something about it.”

“As a grocer, we feed people whether they are customers who come into the store or customers who benefit from our fresh rescue donations or fundraising efforts,” said Melissa Hill, Director of Public Affairs for Albertsons Companies. “Hunger relief is an ongoing struggle and we are so pleased to be helping out in the communities we serve.”

Albertsons Companies have been supporting the Food Bank with food donations since 1998 and, in that time, they have donated more than 60 million pounds of food. Tyson Foods has been supporting the Food Bank since 2002 and, in that time, they have donated more than 2 million pounds of food.

Just in Time for the Holidays

Food insecurity is not just the state of not having access to food; food insecurity is the state of having unreliable access to adequate, healthy food. Many of the people served by the Food Bank struggle to make ends meet and cannot put cost-prohibitive, nutrient-dense items like meat on the table on a regular basis. Tyson’s donation of 37,000 pounds of protein product is the equivalent of nearly 170,000 servings of protein, which will help local families and individuals build well-balanced meals, just in time for the holidays.

Geremy Davis, Wide Receiver for the LA Chargers, was one of the volunteers loading cases of food into agency vehicles, and it was not his first time. “I just want to be of service and help out,” he said. “We have the opportunity to do that, so, why not? Why not use our platform to help out?”

Davis said his favorite holiday memories include sitting around the table enjoying food with loved ones, and that it is rewarding to know that his participation in the event helps many other families do the same. “I think it’s awesome just to play my part.”

You Can Be a Hunger Hero, Too

You may not be able to donate a truckload of food, but then again maybe you can by starting #WeFeedLA Fundraiser today! Our trucks can carry 35,000 meals, which means for just $8,750 you and your loved ones could help us deliver a whole truckload of hope just in time for the holiday season.