Impact of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

The Food Bank and our partner agencies are continuing to operate to help feed those in our community that need assistance and are committed to assisting all affected as the situation evolves.

Our first concern is the health and safety of the people we help, those who operate our 600 partner agencies, our employees and volunteers both on-site and at program distribution sites throughout LA County, and the community at large. Our team is monitoring information from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and other federal, state and local agencies to help ensure the actions we are taking are in line with the latest recommendations.

We have already taken the following steps:

• We have increased our cleaning and sanitizing of high-traffic areas of the Food Bank to multiple times a day. This includes food sorting and work areas for volunteers and staff, doorknobs, bathrooms, and other areas.
• We are in regular communication with our 600 agency partners and Food Bank program sites to monitor the impact of the outbreak on the work of distributing food to those in need.
• We are posting updates about the Coronavirus and its potential impact on our operations and the communities we serve on our website.

Volunteers play an important role in our work.  We are evaluating what changes we need to make in our Volunteer Program as more directives are made at the federal, state and local level, and especially in light of the Governor’s announcement to limit gatherings.

We have also begun to put into place contingency plans for the coming days and weeks. The impact on the communities we serve across Los Angeles County, low-income seniors, children, families and individuals, will likely be significant. We will be ready to do everything that we can to make sure that they receive the nutritious, healthy meals they need despite the social and economic disruption they may face.

As always, the work that we do feeding residents of Los Angeles County is enabled by the generosity of individuals in our community. I will continue to keep you updated and be sure to check LAFoodBank.org/coronavirus for updates.

It is also a reminder that in the event of an emergency, the Food Bank is prepared to assist as needed in conjunction with other community-based and faith-based organizations and government agencies. These emergencies include fires, earthquakes and most recently, the Coronavirus outbreak, which has created an emergency that was not anticipated. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments, and thank you for your continued support of our work.

Michael Flood
President and CEO
Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

*Posted at 11:38 am on 3/12/2020