Fresh off their ESPY award for the "Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year," the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their efforts to help the community during these uncertain and difficult times.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) partnered with the Helping Hands Community to deliver over 22,000 meals directly to the homes of 400 families in Inglewood.
"These families have been unable to make it to our previous 'Grab-and-Gos'," said Nichol Whiteman, the CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. "They have no transportation, or they have seniors who are not equipped to come out of their house at this time. We thought it was really important to serve this population as well."
All of the families are registered members of the Dodgers RBI program, which helps the youth development in communities throughout Los Angeles. Many families are currently suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Dodgers Foundation has been there from the beginning to help those in need.
Their partnership on Tuesday with the Helping Hands Community, specifically benefited some of the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic: senior citizens, the immunocompromised, and people with pre-existing medical conditions. The nonprofit organization has been delivering meals, groceries, and medicine to these individuals since early March.
“As COVID-19 cases spike across LA County, we cannot ignore the compounding issue of food insecurity affecting many of our most vulnerable community members,” said Jeff Miller, CEO and co-founder of Helping Hands Community. “We are proud to bridge the Helping Hands Community last-mile delivery platform with the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation; and, through our partnership to enable food delivery to thousands of families who cannot safely and reliably access groceries during the pandemic.”
With schools shutdown because of the pandemic in California, families with children are especially in need of meals, as they have lost the one meal a day that the school districts usually provide.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
“Through our COVID-19 needs assessment, we learned that 59% of families are experiencing a decrease of income due to the pandemic and families are concerned for the social, emotional, physical, and mental wellness of their children,” said Tiffany Rubin, LADF Director of Youth Programs. “With over 80% of our Dodgers RBI youth eligible for free and reduced lunch at their schools, families rely on school-based food programs. With Helping Hands Community, we are focusing on our Dodgers RBI youth in smaller school districts like Inglewood and Hawthorne, who noted they have less access to ‘grab and go’ centers.”
Since the pandemic began, the Dodgers and their foundation have partnered with many charity organizations to help in the COVID-19 relief efforts. Overall, the Dodgers and their partners have provided over 356,280 meals, and nearly $1 million dollars worth of food, water, team products, and other necessities. For more information on relief efforts, educational programs and community resources, please visit Dodgers.com/Relief.
Now that's what we call an outfield assist!
