West Side Food Bank

Westside Food Bank addresses hunger in west los angeles county - an area that is home to over one million people. Our partner agencies operate Food assistance programs in culver city, inglewood, the lax area, malibu, santa monica, venice, west los angeles, and westhollywood. During the fiscal year july 1, 2022 - june 30, 2023, Westside Food Bank distributed 4,991,802 pounds of nutritious Food, more than double the amount distributed prior to the pandemic. 67% of the Food distributed was fresh produce, high protein foods and dairy products and less than 2% was high sugar or salt snack foods. We ended a short term lease on 10,000 square foot warehouse and entered into a 2 year lease on a 28,000 square warehouse. The Food was acquired through donations and wholesale Food purchases. It was distributed via 60+ partner agencies and five direct service mobile Food pantries. The wide variety of nutritious Food reached over 72,000 households representing over 153,000 people including families with children, unemployed, underemployed, low wage, and middle wage workers, seniors on fixed incomes, adults and transition-aged youth experiencing homelessness, people with mental health conditions andchronic illnesses, college students and veterans and their families.in providing Food to vulnerable populations free of charge, wsfb's Food helps to prevent clients from becoming unhoused by allowing them to use their limited resources on housing and other basic needs. Over 45% of the Food distributed was fresh produce, supplemented by high protein foods, nutritious pantry staples, eggs, and other grocery items.service to college students more than doubled through support of robust Food programs at several local colleges and universities, and wsfb provided Food to backpack programs at the santa monica and culver city untified school districts. 90% of the Food was distributed via Food pantries that provide free groceries while the other 10% was provided through shelters, transitional housing programs, community kitchens, k-12 and college Food distribution programs, and veterans' programs.many of wsfb's member agencies offer additional services including employment training, childcare, counseling, referrals, recovery programs, as well as parenting and money management classes to help clients become more economically independent.

Westside Food Bank held its community engagement event, the 33 rd annual 5k hunger walk, on october 16, 2022. There was no cost or fundraising requirement to participate in the event so as to provide equal access to everyone in the community. Over 400 people participated as walkers or volunteers and all participants received an event t-shirt and swag bag. Participants had the option to raise funds for Westside Food Bank's hunger-relief work via a complementary peer-to-peer website where they could invite others to walk with them or donate. Participants enjoyed activities including entertainment, awards, and games at the family fun zone prior to walking a 5k route along the beachside walking path in santa monica. The event is designed to raise awareness about hunger and Food insecurity, and provide local students, businesses, and others an opportunity to learn more about the issue and Westside Food Bank's work to address it.