South LA is Still Recovering From the Pandemic. This Food Pantry Helps Hundreds.
South LA is Still Recovering From the Pandemic. This Food Pantry Helps Hundreds.
The East Side Riders Bike Club holds weekly food distributions that are helping families recover from the pandemic, and now, inflation
While many individuals talk about the pandemic in the past tense, there are many communities that are struggling to bounce back from it – financially, emotionally, and physically.
Just a block away from a major grocery store in Watts, hundreds of individuals line up for the East Side Riders Bike Club food distribution every Wednesday, hoping to get some of the food that they can’t afford down the street.
The Eastside Riders Bike Club is one of 600+ partner agencies that the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank counts on to help individuals throughout LA County who are struggling with food insecurity and getting access to nutritious food. While the pandemic has affected their situation, many families are seeking assistance for the first time due to inflation.
A Much-Needed Food Delivery
Robert Edwards visits the East Side Riders Bike Club food distribution whenever he doesn’t have to go to work. That’s the deal he has with his elderly aunt that is bedridden and can’t attend the distributions herself.
“She always tells me how appreciative she is to the people here for giving her food,” Edwards said.
Edwards’ aunt is one of the thousands of seniors seeking food assistance to make ends meet. Their fixed income isn’t enough to cover all their costs, with many opting to cut back on medical visits, medicines, and sometimes food to keep up with the bills.
Getting the Help They Need
Without help from any other agency, Maria Cortez and her husband do their best to get their bills paid and put food on the table for their three young children. However, their situation has gotten more challenging as they rely on Cortez’s husband’s sole income, and with the rising prices of food, gas, and utilities, to name a few, their family is struggling.
Food distributions like the one available at East Side Riders Bike Club help families like the Cortez’s make ends meet in order to send their children to school fed and satisfied.
Nutrition for a Healthier Lifestyle
Getting their hands on healthy, nutritious food has gotten tougher for low- and middle-income families. With food on the rise, it’s sometimes easier to opt for cheaper, high-caloric foods rather than those that are more fulfilling and more expensive.
About three months before the Food Bank met Ana Torres at the East Side Riders Bike Club food distribution, she didn’t know about food assistance. Once she discovered the weekly distributions, there was no turning back for Torres, who is 70 years old and on a fixed income.
“There are seven people at home, so we need this food,” said Torres.
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