As part of the new Los Angeles COVID-19 Response Team, in collaboration with the LA Cedars Rotary Club, the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council has mobilized its outreach infrastructure to get our senior neighbors the food they need to stay healthy while staying inside. We have recruited over 120 Angelenos to call over 3,000 neighbors aged 65 and older in two ZIP codes and five languages. We check on mental health, and deliver fresh produce and dried goods to all who need so they can avoid exposure to coronavirus. Through the generous support of the Rotary, Council Districts 4, 13, Supervisor Kuehl, the Hollywood BID, and Assemblymember Richard Bloom, we have been able to completely cover the cost of this service for now. We have made over 300 deliveries in 2 weeks—over 5100 lbs of food—but each week sees more requests than the last, especially as our hotline now draws up to 75 calls per day from those we can’t reach directly. We have the technology and personnel to sustain our work through the projected peak of the pandemic, but we need resources to ensure we can keep delivering food to all who need without anyone slipping through the cracks. If so, we will be able to expand our services and provide a model for all communities in LA, allowing our city to leap into action should we ever face a crisis like this again.

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