LOS ANGELES, CA— April 30, 2020 — The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank received 15,500 masks from BELLA+CANVAS to provide important Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Food Bank’s network of Partner Agencies. Given the work of the Food Bank is considered essential, distributing food has continued – and will continue – throughout Los Angeles County. It is critical to keep our food, volunteers and partners safe, and these masks are much-needed for our frontline workers.

The Food Bank distributes food through direct programs such as drive-through distributions, but also through 600 partner agencies who distribute food at roughly 900 sites across Los Angeles County (some partner agencies operate multiple distribution sites). The Food Bank and Partner Agencies provide food to children and their families who need assistance due to school closures, senior citizens who are being impacted by the current situation and to others who have been impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

“It’s important for everyone to wear a clean, disposable face cover to slow the spread of COVID-19. Our ability as a community to come together and supply masks to those in need is essential,” said Marco DeGeorge, Co-Founder of BELLA+CANVAS. “We’re excited to partner with the LA Rams to ensure that the Los Angeles Food Bank, a vital part of the community, are protected with face covers.”

“Distributing food to those in need is critical, but it’s also critical to keep our staff, volunteers and partners safe,” said Michael Flood, the Food Bank’s President and CEO. “These masks will help to keep our frontline workers healthy and able to continue their essential work.”

During normal times, one in five people struggles with food insecurity in Los Angeles County, including one in four children. LA County has more food-insecure individuals than any county in the nation. Thanks to our donors, the Food Bank can provide healthy food for more than 300,000 people each month. Since the outbreak of the virus, that number has surged to over 475,000 people, and this generous gift from BELLA+CANVAS will help our program staff, volunteers, agency partners and our clients safe while they distribute nutritious food to people needing food assistance during this crisis.

ABOUT BELLA+CANVAS

BELLA+CANVAS is a Los Angeles-based apparel company in the United States with a mission to build in America by creating more jobs with the largest manufacturing operation in North America. Known for making some of the best fitting and feeling tees in the world, BELLA+CANVAS is an innovator in the wholesale apparel space, constantly developing new fabrics such as its signature ’Airlume’ cotton. Committed to sustainability, BELLA+CANVAS manufactures tees responsibly by minimizing its ecological footprint at every stage of the production process.

About the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has been mobilizing resources to fight hunger in Los Angeles County since 1973. To support the Food Bank’s vision that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County, food and grocery products are distributed through a network of 600 partner agencies and directly to families, seniors and children through direct distribution programs. The Food Bank has distributed more than 1.5 billion pounds of food, the equivalent of 1.2 billion meals since 1973. In response to the Coronavirus crisis, the Food Bank has increased food distribution by more than 70 percent, reaching more than 200,000 people every week. The Food Bank is a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator. For more information, visit LAFoodBank.org.