The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank thrives because of our community. One of the easiest ways to support our mission is by sharing the stories of the partners, volunteers, and donors who make food and nutrition assistance possible for our neighbors.

This list highlights our most-read stories of the year and serves as an easy way to share within your networks, raise awareness about the ongoing challenges of food and nutrition insecurity, and demonstrate how getting involved can begin with sharing a story.

1. FOOD PANTRIES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, in collaboration with its extensive network of partner agencies across LA County, provides food and nutrition assistance to numerous neighbors each month. Through trusted partner agencies and direct and indirect distributions, help is closer than many realize.

The Food Bank’s Food Pantry Locator makes it easy to find a nearby partner agency offering food assistance. In addition to groceries, some locations may also provide essential items such as diapers, menstrual hygiene products, and other household necessities, ensuring neighbors can access the support they need, when they need it.

2. THE FOOD BANK PROVIDES FOOD ASSISTANCE TO NEIGHBORS IMPACTED BY LOCAL EMERGENCIES IN COLLABORATION WITH HILDA SOLIS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Amid fires, power outages, and water advisories across Los Angeles County in January 2025, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank joined a community resource fair hosted by Hilda Solis at the East Los Angeles Civic Center on January 11. Organized in under 48 hours, the event provided critical relief to neighbors affected by wildfire smoke, utility shut-offs, and disrupted food access. The Food Bank distributed 2,000 food kits with fresh produce and shelf-stable items to support families during the ongoing emergency response.

3. HOW THE FOOD BANK RESPONDS TO WILDFIRES

When disaster strikes, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is one of many organizations that mobilize to support communities in need. As Southern California faced multiple wildfires in January 2025, the Food Bank collaborated with partners to address urgent needs.

The Food Bank collaborated with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Emergency Network Los Angeles, and hundreds of partner agencies across Los Angeles County to provide food assistance during emergencies. Wildfires can cause evacuations, job loss, and school closures, increasing food insecurity for many families. While organizations like the American Red Cross provide immediate shelter and relief, the Food Bank supplies shelters and relief agencies with essential food and water.

4. THE FOOD BANK EXPANDS SERVICE TO THE SOUTH BAY WITH NEW DISTRIBUTION HUB

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank expanded its service to the South Bay with the addition of a new distribution hub in Long Beach. On March 11, 2025, at the request of the California Department of Social Services, ownership of the Cherry Avenue facility was transferred from the Foodbank of Southern California to the Food Bank, ensuring continued access to critical food resources. Set to open in late March, the new hub replaces a temporary distribution site, strengthening the Food Bank’s ability to meet rising demand and serve partner agencies across the South Bay more efficiently.

5. CALIFORNIA FIRST PARTNER JENNIFER SIEBEL NEWSOM, CA HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY KIM JOHNSON AND CA CHIEF SERVICE OFFICER JOSH FRYDAY VISIT LA REGIONAL FOOD BANK AMIDST WILDFIRES

State leaders visited the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s City of Industry Distribution Center as state-funded food deliveries arrived to support neighbors impacted by wildfires and related emergencies in January 2025. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Kim Johnson, and Josh Fryday were on hand as pallets of food were unloaded, part of $1 million in state emergency funding that provided 25,000 food boxes for affected communities. The delivery followed a community resource fair in East Los Angeles and supported ongoing relief efforts addressing power outages, evacuations, water advisories, and unhealthy air quality.

6. HOW TO FIND FOOD ASSISTANCE NEAR YOU

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank continued to support neighbors across Los Angeles County during a period marked by a government shutdown, disruptions to CalFresh benefits, and other emergencies. As many families faced uncertainty and reduced access to food assistance, the Food Bank and its network of hundreds of partner agencies worked to ensure no one went without nutritious food.

Neighbors impacted by the shutdown, who had their CalFresh benefits interrupted or faced other difficult circumstances, were able to find free, nutritious food through the Food Bank’s Pantry Locator, which connected individuals and families to local food pantries throughout the County. With more than 600 partner agencies serving communities from the Antelope Valley to Long Beach, the Food Bank helped provide groceries, fresh produce, and essential household items during a time of heightened need.

7. SMALL ACTS, BIG IMPACT: SIMPLE WAYS TO SUPPORT THE LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK

Hunger touches every corner of Los Angeles County, but so does hope. At the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, neighbors coming together make a real difference. Whether you give, volunteer, fundraise, or share our mission, there are many ways you can help provide food and hope to families, seniors, and children across LA County.

8. A FOOD PANTRY HELPING NEIGHBORS IN KOREATOWN

In the heart of Koreatown, one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, St. James Episcopal Church, a partner agency of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, provides weekly food assistance to hundreds of neighbors in need. Each Thursday, individuals of all backgrounds line up along Wilshire Boulevard to receive nutritious food and support.

To meet the needs of both housed and unhoused guests, Food Pantry Coordinator Kathy Helm and a dedicated volunteer team prepare two types of food bags. One includes shelf-stable items and fresh produce, while the other offers ready-to-eat food and hygiene kits, ensuring everyone is served with dignity and care.

9. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE GREATER LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES AND HOW THE FOOD BANK WILL RESPOND

The Greater Los Angeles wildfires destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, displacing tens of thousands of individuals and families while creating long-term economic and housing challenges felt across Los Angeles County.

In response, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank stepped up to support those affected, ramping up food distribution and working alongside partners to provide essential resources at evacuation centers and community sites. With the help of donors, volunteers, and partners, the Food Bank increased food intake, assembled record numbers of emergency food kits, and continued serving neighbors as recovery efforts began and needs remained high.

10. YOUR 2025 GIVING GUIDE

By choosing to support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, our community helped feed countless neighbors each month while strengthening the fight against food insecurity across Los Angeles County. Through volunteering, financial contributions, and participation in signature events, supporters made a meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of families and individuals.

Together, donors, volunteers, and partners showed that everyone had a role to play in addressing hunger. Their generosity and commitment helped ensure that nutritious food reached those who needed it most, reinforcing the Food Bank’s ability to serve our communities throughout the year.

Together, these stories reflect the many ways the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and its partner agencies work every day to support neighbors across LA County, from providing nutritious food and essential items to responding in times of crisis. They also highlight how food and nutrition insecurity continues to affect families, seniors, children, and individuals from all walks of life.

If these stories inspired you, consider taking the next step. A donation to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank helps ensure food, dignity, and critical resources reach neighbors when they need them most. Together, #WeFeedLA.