LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2020 – Today, the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region completed a 15-week partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District serving more than 40 million meals to students and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

SEE: Photos of Red Cross volunteers at Grab & Go sites (Flickr)

ALSO SEE: B-roll of Grab & Go sites (Vimeo)

Red Cross LA partnered with the nation’s second largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, to serve breakfast and lunch to the more than half a million students affected by school closures. Starting March 18, more than 1,200 Red Cross volunteers reported to the Grab & Go sites working shits from 6 –11 a.m.

“We were honored to work in partnership with Los Angeles Unified, to address the food insecurities Angelenos were facing because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jarrett Barrios, the CEO of the American Red Cross in Los Angeles. “It’s truly humbling to see what a group of people can accomplish when they work together with their hearts aligned. Thank you to the hundreds of Red Crossers who answered the call when our neighbors needed us the most.”

In addition, the Red Cross is working with other local partners to provide meals, and to date has:

• Assembled more than 34,700 meals at the L.A. Food Bank warehouse in Commerce
• Distributed more than 35,600 meals at YMCA centers of Metropolitan Los Angeles
• Assembled more than 40,300 meals at Khalsa Care Foundation in Pacoima
• Distributed more than 2,000 meals at Sowing Seeds for Life Food Bank in La Verne

Facing the new normal head-on, the Red Cross in Los Angeles has also continued its work though new avenues trying to reach the broader community:

• Red Cross AmeriCorps members have educated more than 25,800 individuals about disaster preparedness when they picked up food at the L.A. Unified Grab & Go Food sites and the YMCA centers. 
  • This has given children and adults access to COVID-19 safety information, how to make a disaster preparedness kit, and how to download Monster Guard, an emergency preparedness mobile app designed for children.
• Red Cross educators have provided free virtual disaster preparedness classes to the community, presented in English and Spanish, with classes geared toward preparing children. Sign up for a class at redcross.org/la-virtual.

For the latest information on how you can help the Red Cross, please visit redcross.org/la-covid.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/la or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossLA or @CruzRojaLA.