Midtown Los Angeles Homeless Coalition

To ensure proper nutrition for our unhoused neighbors, especially during this time of pandemic and while they await more permanent solutions to their struggles, the Midtown Homeless (MHC) Coalition has devised a plan to engage local volunteers in a systematic deployment of bag lunches to our unhoused neighbors. Volunteers will purchase and prepare bag lunches in their own homes, with standard contents for each bag. Contents will be high in protein, high in vitamin C, and will be generally easy to consume even for someone with poor dental health. Volunteers who prepare the bags of food will then deliver the bags to a central location. A second team of volunteers, trained in safe practices of delivering food to people experiencing homelessness, will pick up the food bags and distribute them no later than 24 hours after the food is prepared. In addition to the bag lunches, a summer resource guide will be distributed. This resource guide lists other food distribution centers as well as other vital services. The MHC will monitor locations where food is most needed through a variety of channels: weekly survey of outreach workers who serve our homeless community and individual reporting about sites encountered by Coalition members. The Coalition will use this information to direct distribution accordingly. The Midtown Homeless Coalition will also be collecting donations from community members and companies/organizations. The donations will be distributed by the volunteers (in the above project) and to local non-profits and other organizations that provide services to our unhoused neighbors. Volunteers will be asked to sort and organize donations in addition to cleaning used clothing donations. Funds will be used for the following: cleaning used clothing donations, purchase new underwear and socks, and purchase supplies necessary to organize donations.