TWO MILLION Free Meals Served in the Spirit of the Holiday season by Hospitality Training Academy and UNITE HERE Local 11’s “Serving Our Community” meal program
Home / News / TWO MILLION Free Meals Served in the Spirit of the Holiday season by Hospitality Training Academy and UNITE HERE Local 11’s “Serving Our Community” meal program
December 2, 2020
Free meals program for homebound seniors and others impacted by COVID-19
Who: Hospitality Training Academy, Dozens of food service workers, UNITE HERE Local 11, Levy Restaurants at the Los Angeles Convention Center General Manager, Patrick Smart
What:TWO Million Meals Served by Hospitality Training Academy and UNITE HERE Local 11’s “Serving Our Community” free meals program to homebound seniors, homeless persons, and low-income families impacted by COVID-19.
When: Thursday, December 3rd, 2020 at 9:30AM – Meal pick up will begin at 10am
Visuals to be available: Footage of staff preparing and packaging meals
Where: Levy Restaurants at Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Press Entrance: Loading dock located on Pico in between LA Live Way and Figueroa Street
Visuals: Giant 2M Balloons
Los Angeles, CA: The “Serving Our Community” program will serve its TWO MILLIONTH meal this week to homebound seniors, homeless persons and low-income families impacted by COVID-19 through contactless delivery.
Providing the cooking, food prep, packaging, and distribution centers, the SOC program has also provided 1,109 jobs to recently laid-off union and non-union workers in the hospitality, food service and transportation industries.
This partnership between Hospitality Training Academy and UNITE HERE Local 11 launched on May 1st, 2020 and has since served over 9,296 persons with meals cooked in the industrial kitchens at Levy Restaurants at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Pomona College, JW Marriott Los Angeles LA LIVE, The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort, Sheraton Grand Los Angeles, and The Beverly Hilton Hotel & Resorts.
The Hospitality Training Academy ensures that all meals meet City and County dietary requirements, and all workers receive COVID-19 training (safety and sanitation). SOC addresses three urgent needs facing stakeholders in cities across the country: employing laid-off, out-of-work, trained and experienced professionals; ensuring continuity of service at keystone employers that are a fiscal engine in our region; and providing meals to at-risk populations.
Serving Our Community is an initiative launched by the Hospitality Training Academy (HTA), UNITE HERE Local 11, the hospitality workers’ union, and many of its employers (partnered hotels and event venues). The HTA and UNITE HERE Local 11 partnership received a Master Service Contract with the State of California for Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San
Bernardino County.
The Hospitality Training Academy (HTA) provides a variety of workforce development, apprenticeship, ESL, and training programs to train low income, marginalized individuals for jobs in the hospitality and food service industry.
UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,500 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers and airports.
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Mayor Eric Garcetti announced at a press conference that the City of Los Angeles has contracted with the Serving Our Community initiative.
