The Extra Helpings Program Redirected more than 28.3 million pounds of food in 2023.

In the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank created a program called Extra Helpings to redirect good, nutritious and healthy food away from landfills and into the stomachs of hungry children, families and older adults.

In 2023, thanks to over 500 food donors, the Extra Helpings Program ensured that more than 28.3 million pounds of food were redirected from landfills to stomachs by enabling 220 partner agencies to collect nutritious, perishable and prepared food directly from grocery stores and other local sources in their neighborhoods.

We Help Making a Difference in Its Communities

We Help, a Food Bank partner agency, works towards the same goal of alleviating hunger in their community in Long Beach. Together, the Food Bank and its partner agencies, like We Help, have been making a positive impact in the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals each month.

The Food Bank works with hundreds of partner agencies and meets their needs, as well as the needs of those seeking food assistance, every day. As the need grows in our communities, the Food Bank supports its partner agencies in various ways, whether it be through providing additional food or through agency capacity grants.

Through the Food Bank, We Help was able to start picking up food from its local Amazon Fresh store as part of the Extra Helpings Program. Because of the additional intake of food, We Help needed refrigeration. The Food Bank once again came in to offer refrigeration, including freezers and a refrigerated van that has supported We Help in the transportation and delivery of food to our neighbors.