Additional Volunteers Needed to Support Red Cross LA Response to COVID-19

LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2020 – The American Red Cross Los Angeles Region announced today that it has partnered with the Los Angeles Regional Food Back to help package meals and make sure Angelenos don’t go hungry during this health and community crisis.

SEE: Photos of Red Cross LA volunteers supporting their community during COVID-19 (Flickr)

ALSO SEE: B-Roll of L.A. Unified Grab & Go Site and L.A. Food Bank Warehouse (Vimeo)

In response to the Coronavirus crisis, the L.A. Food Bank said it has seen an increase in food distribution by more than 70 percent, and since last Thursday, Red Cross LA has helped in assembling more than 8,000 meal kits.

This is in addition to the more than 1,200 volunteers who have helped distribute more than 31 million meals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the fear that almost half a million school children could go hungry, Red Cross LA first partnered with the second largest school district in the nation, the Los Angeles Unified School District, from the start of the Shelter at Home orders in mid-March to serve meals to those affected by school closures.

 “Our work never stops, even during this coronavirus crisis, and we remain focused on delivering our lifesaving mission each and every day,” said Marium Mohiuddin, Director of Communications for the Red Cross in Los Angeles. “Our work continues and as we have seen an uptick in the number of meals distributed during the past few days, and many of our volunteers conclude their service and return to work, there is a still a need for volunteers to help.”

Along with partnering with the L.A. Food Bank and L.A. Unified, the Red Cross also is working with other partners to help provide additional meals to those in need. So far, the Red Cross with its partners has helped:

• Serve more than 16,000 meals at YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles centers
• Assemble more than 5,200 meals at Khalsa Care Foundation in Pacoima

More volunteers are needed at dozens of sites across the county to help address food insecurity brought on by the pandemic. To volunteer with the Red Cross and its partners visit redcross.org/la-covid.

THE RED CROSS RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Facing the new normal head-on, the Red Cross in Los Angeles has continued its important 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 pick 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 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. These classes include "Be Red Cross Ready + COVID-19" workshops for adults (presented in English and Spanish), Pillowcase Project classes for children grades 3-5 and Prepare with Pedro classes for children grades K-2. Sign up for a class at redcross.org/la-virtual.
• A free online course, “COVID-19 Continuity of Operations Workshop,” is available to nonprofit and community organizations in the Los Angeles area, enabling organizations to continue to provide services safely and in compliance with public health directives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.