From receiving groceries with her mom to greeting neighbors at registration, Maria shows what community-powered hunger relief looks like. 

When someone seeks food assistance for the first time, they may experience anxiety, fear, or pride. With no knowledge of how distributions work or what may be requested of them, the experience can be intimidating. 

At the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center monthly food distribution, anyone who attends will be greeted with a warm smile by Maria, a longtime Los Angeles Regional Food Bank volunteer. 

Maria, a patient at the Medical Center, went to an appointment with her mom one day. When she noticed people walking away with bags full of groceries, they were both curious about how they, too, could get groceries. They found out that the Food Bank has a monthly distribution at the Medical Center.

After attending the food distribution a couple of times, Maria was ready to become a volunteer, so with her mom’s blessing, she began her journey.

Initially, she was tasked with handing out flyers to help spread the word so more families in the community would know about the food distribution. Over time, as coordinators got to know her dedication, her role grew. Now, Maria helps with registration, logging every person who comes through the distribution, and greeting every single person who comes by with a warm smile and a genuine interest in knowing how they are doing.

While Maria loves helping people in her community, she’s also found something unexpected in the work: friendship. She looks forward to meeting new people at every distribution, and as it turns out, they look forward to seeing her too.

“People who come by have told me that they like seeing me here because of my smile and personality,” she said.

Maria has become a familiar, beloved face at the distributions. When she had to step away for about a month to recover from surgery, neighbors noticed her absence and asked where she’d gone. When she returned, fully recovered, the community welcomed her back with open arms.

Every distribution depends on people like Maria: people willing to hand out flyers, staff registration tables, load groceries, and greet neighbors with a smile. It also depends on donors whose generosity keeps the shelves stocked and distributions running daily. If you are able, consider donating or volunteering at the Food Bank.