(JUNE 22, 2020) LOS ANGELES – The need for food assistance in LA County has increased by 70% as a result of the pandemic. To help provide food and other essentials to our neighbors in need, Raytheon Technologies has committed $5 million to Feeding America to support local food banks. This donation will make a major difference in the lives of food-insecure children, seniors, families and individuals throughout LA County.
“Prior to COVID-19, 1 in 5 people in LA County faced food insecurity, including 1 in 4 children,” said Michael Flood, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. “Since COVID-19, we have seen the need for food assistance increase markedly, and we now estimate that we are helping 500,000 people each month. We are proud to partner with Raytheon Technologies to provide meals to people who struggle to put food on the tables.”
Many children, seniors, families and individuals are new to food assistance. In addition to the normal work of the Food Bank, massive drive-thru distributions have been organized to help meet the extra need. These distributions, a spinoff of the Food Bank’s Mobile Food Pantry program, allow food recipients to stay safely in their vehicles while emergency food kits are placed into trunks. Anywhere from 1,000 to 7,500 families are helped at each one of these events.
“The impact of COVID-19 on our communities has been swift and unprecedented,” said Greg Hayes, CEO of Raytheon Technologies. “The communities where our employees live and work are in need, and it’s our responsibility to support our friends and neighbors during this crisis.”
The LA Regional Food Bank is one of 17 Feeding America® member food banks receiving donations from Raytheon Technologies.
For more information about the LA Regional Food Bank’s efforts to fight hunger during COVID-19, please visit LAFoodBank.org.
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ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has been mobilizing resources to fight hunger in Los Angeles County since 1973. To support the Food Bank’s vision that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County, food and grocery products are distributed through a network of 600 partner agencies and directly to families, seniors and children through direct distribution programs. The Food Bank has distributed more than 1.5 billion pounds of food, the equivalent of 1.2 billion meals since 1973. In response to the Coronavirus crisis, the Food Bank has increased food distribution by more than 70 percent. The Food Bank is a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator. For more information, visit LAFoodBank.org.
ABOUT RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With 195,000 employees and four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.