Individuals who help make movies happen are struggling to make ends meet as the Hollywood work stoppage continues

When thinking about Hollywood, one immediately thinks of the actors we all know and love, as well as the big paychecks they earn. However, there are thousands of people behind the scenes who work hard to help a movie or show make it to television, your favorite streaming service, or theaters.

Although these individuals don’t earn millions like those we see on screen, they went from receiving a steady paycheck to nothing. That’s when the labor unions got together and with help from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, put on two drive-through food and product distributions to help those affected by the work stoppage.

Distributions that Help Feed Families

As rent, utility bills and other expenses pile up throughout the month, there is one basic need that all workers on strike should have on a daily basis, food. Although food is a basic necessity, not everyone has easy access to it, and in many cases, individuals tend to make sacrifices to survive, including food.

Under normal circumstances, Jason McCauley is a location manager for movie and television sets. He works to secure shoot locations, obtain the needed permits, and makes sure that everything runs smoothly throughout filming. 

With work coming to a halt, McCauley has had to start digging into his savings account to make ends meet, and that includes feeding his six-month-old son, at the time of our interview.

He volunteered at one of the distributions to help his fellow colleagues through this difficult time, but was surprised and happy to learn that he too will be taking home food for his family at the end of the day.

Working Together to Feed LA

Year-round, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank works with more than 600 partner agencies to maximize the amount of individuals and families that are in need of food throughout our County. It’s through these partnerships that more families are able to put food on the table and have a positive outlook on life.

When Armando Olivas, Executive Director of Labor Community Services of Los Angeles heard of the Hollywood strike, he knew he had to get in touch with all the impacted unions in order to know what their communities needed. Food was at the top of the list; therefore, he knew he could count on the Food Bank to deploy semi-trucks loaded with food for those who needed it most.

The Hollywood strike is not just impacting writers and actors, but the Los Angeles community as a whole. If you are in a position to do so, consider donating to the Food Bank and helping our neighbors in need.