HTA and Marriott Mobilize Emergency Meals Program for Eaton Fire-Affected Community
HTA, in collaboration with Marriott International, mobilized a 10-week Emergency Meals Program between April and July for Pasadena and Altadena community members experiencing long-term displacement and economic impact from the Eaton Fire. With support from American Express, HTA and Marriott staff prepared and distributed over 10,000 meals to community members at weekly drive-thru pick-up events at the Pasadena Church East Campus, and delivered 1,800 meals to faculty and staff at five schools in the Pasadena Unified School District – Alma Fuerte Public School, Aveson Global Leadership Academy (AGLA), Aveson School of Leaders (ASL), Don Benito Fundamental School and Pasadena Rosebud Academy.
The ready-to-go meals were cooked, packaged and assembled in the industrial kitchen at the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotels. The HTA and Marriott teams coordinated delivery of 250 meals per week via logistics company Evolgo to faculty and staff at the Pasadena Unified schools, and HTA staff were on-site at the Pasadena Church to distribute 1,000 meals every Saturday – alongside volunteers from the Church who assembled to provide cleaning products, hygiene items, baby formula, diapers, water, pet food and supplies.
“The Los Angeles fires posed unprecedented challenges across our communities, but it’s also galvanized our capacity to work together and serve people in need. Organizations with longstanding relationships within the Los Angeles community and professional staff, like the HTA, are uniquely positioned to execute high-quality meals programs at scale for affected communities during natural disasters, pandemics and other crises. We were proud to collaborate with Marriott International to support residents hardest hit by the aftermath of the fires and show the best of our Angeleno spirit.” – Adine Forman, Executive Director, Hospitality Training Academy
“Marriott is deeply committed to serving the communities in which we operate. As longstanding members of the Los Angeles community, we were honored to support HTA’s mission to deliver meals to those impacted by these devastating fires. We are proud of our associates who participated in the meals program and grateful to American Express and Evolgo for their support.” – Javier Cano, Area General Manager for Marriott International
“The Pasadena Unified School District has immense gratitude for the direct support provided to our students and families by Marriott and the HTA. Through their dedicated work, thousands of hearty meals were distributed to Pasadena Unified families following the devastating Eaton Fire, specifically during the weekends when our schools are unable to supply community meals. We appreciate their tangible humanity, which supported our students and families in a time of healing and restabilization.” – Dr. Helen Chan Hill, Pasadena Unified Chief Academic Officer
“Volunteers from our congregation have been supporting community members affected by the Eaton Fire since those early days in January, including members of our church who were displaced or lost their own homes, and awesomely showed up in the midst of their own loss. The fire is long over, but people are still in need, and this outpouring of service to our neighbors in Pasadena and Altadena has been a blessing. It was our pleasure to welcome the Hospitality Training Academy to be a part of the offering we are bestowing on the community, as they share our heart of service. With the love and support of so many caring people, we know that beauty will rise from the ashes.” – Pastor Lamar Lyas, Pasadena Church
“This was one of the most rewarding and heartwarming experiences I have ever been a part of. Over the course of the 10-week program, two dozen HTA staff members volunteered with compassion and enthusiasm, and many of them brought their children and parents to take part in this volunteer mobilization to support community members in need. And I want to acknowledge the incredible work of the HTA team in organizing and executing this huge undertaking, especially our Director of Special Projects Jaime Cedano and Program Director Gabriela Jimenez, who coordinated all of the program logistics and distribution plans.” – Adrineh Terantonians, Director of Workforce Systems, Hospitality Training Academy