Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: Fighting Hunger. Giving Hope.

1 in 7 people in Los Angeles County is at risk of going hungry!

Tony Collier founded the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank in 1973 as a result of all of the food donations from local businesses he received when he worked as a cook with a charitable organization. People were impressed, and four people joined together to create the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

2011 is the 38th year of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. They are now a 900 member agency and distributed over 54 million pounds of food for the hungry in Los Angeles last year.

How the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank Works

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has partnered with Feeding America, the United States’ largest non-governmental hunger relief agency.  The LA Regional Food Bank also partners with other food banks throughout the country to bring the highest quality to the hungry of Los Angeles.

550 charitable agencies also provide help with the distribution of food stuffs to the hungry. Together they have established 900 sites for people to go to get food when they are hungry and in need.

How You Can Help

You can give back to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank by donating money, donating food, volunteering, and hosting a food drive.

Donate funds by phone, by stock, by mail or through a planned gift. You can also donate online. Mail your check to the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank 1734 East 41 Street, Los Angeles, CA 90058.

You can also donate food. Email Clarissa Velasco at cvelasco@lafoodbank.org to get your food surplus picked up. They accept dry shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen food items, prepared food, foodservices items, and personal care and cleaning products.

Volunteer with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank through the work experience program, food sorting, or helping at a special event or food drive.

How to Give Back Locally on Earth Day

Earth Day is the holiday to celebrate our planet earth and sharing information about how to preserve our precious planet. Here at Giving Local, we believe that making the planet a better place to live directly affects the people who live on it, and future generations to come. Whether you are looking to do a full-fledged beach clean up today, or you are looking to pick up that extra piece of trash that didn’t make it into the trash bin, make a difference today!

Check out our featured environmental charities to see some great charities that give back to Mother Earth on a regular basis.

• Heal the Bay
• Tree People
• Endangered Habitats League
• Global Inheritance
• Planet Lunchroom

Raft, Inc.: Resources Advancing Family Transitions

Raft, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that is in Inglewood which provides job training and placement coupled with stable housing and supportive services. They target low-income single mothers and emancipated youth.

They partner with attorneys from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles’ Community Economic Development. They have been a tax exempt charity since 2002.

The Raft “New Wave Program”

Since 2004, the New Wave Program placed students who have graduated into programs. They have been recognized by the California Bar Foundation, and have financial independence. They now support the Legal Support Institute which is an employment training school that is also registered with California.

Give Back to Raft, Inc.

It’s easy to “launch a RAFT” with donations. With budget cuts at an all time high, Raft needs your support.

Donate today online. Donations are tax deductible with a tax id of 95-4819417.

Mail donations to:

Raft, Inc.
PO Box 83328
Los Angeles, CA 90083

You can call them at 310.670.4617.

Homeboy Industries: Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job

Targeting youth involved in gangs, Homeboy Industries’ services enable young people to “redirect their lives and provide them with hope for their futures.” From job training to support and counseling, each person has a personal Case Manager while they take classes that teach them valuable skills to apply to their jobs.

Homeboy provides jobs for people who want to move beyond life on the streets in a gang. They offer case management, education, training for jobs, counseling, mental health services, legal services, and tattoo removal.

Jobs Are the Key to Change

The Employment Counselors help at-risk youth find jobs by:

1. Searching for available jobs
2. Developing Resumes
3. Developing personal presentation and interview skills
4. Finding good employment matches

Their goal is to find good matches for people who need jobs. They train them at Homeboy and then train them to take positions outside of the charity. This teaches them to be strong candidates for many positions.

Laser Removal Courtesy of Homeboy Industries

Donate Now to Homeboy Industries

You can donate through mail, online, or by PayPal. For more information on how to donate visit the Homeboy Industries website.  Call Homeboy Industries at 323.526.1254. You can send all checks to:

Homeboy Industries
130 W. Bruno St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Women’s Empowerment: Giving Homeless Women the Tools for Employment

Women’s Empowerment is a non profit organization who gives homeless women the skills and confidence they need to get a job and live a healthy lifestyle. This way they can get a home for themselves and their children back.

Homeless women created the Women’s Empowerment charity that brought together people as a community in order for women to express what they need. They work with focus groups to give women who are stuck in the cycle of poverty the tools they need in order to get jobs and become self sufficient people.

Noted Accomplishments

Women’s Empowerment officially became an independent nonprofit in 2004. Since then, they have grown to a board and staff with a great overview of what the community actually needs which includes a lot of volunteers and mentors who help homeless women rise out of poverty.

They have served over 771 women and 800 children since the start of their program. May 2009 market a great accomplishment – Women’s Empowerment was named Nonprofit of the Year by the Nonprofit Resource Center.

Giving Back to Women’s Empowerment

People living in Los Angeles can donate to Women’s Empowerment because it is up at our state’s capital of Sacramento. Only 19% of all donations go to administrative costs, which means you can “donate with confidence.” Donate today to Women’s Empowerment.

You can contact Women’s Empowerment at 1400 North C Street, Sacramento, CA 95811. Call them at 916-669-2307 or email them at support@womens-empowerment.org.