Members of A New Way of Life celebrate a new home for a former incarcerated woman. (photo by Gary Leonard/courtesy of the SAM Initiative)

The SAM Initiative, an L.A.-based giving circle whose members pool their financial resources and experiences to fund and support nonprofits, has announced it has donated a total of $258,000 to local organizations.

SAM selects causes and organizations that address the most urgent needs in communities throughout Los Angeles, and this year’s recipients include A New Way of Life, Safe Parking L.A., San Fernando Valley Refugee Children Center, WISE Readers to Leaders, Social Venture Partners Los Angeles and Homeboy Industries’ newest social enterprise — Feed Hope.

When the COVID-19 health crisis reached Los Angeles, the SAM Initiative responded by identifying local organizations to donate grants to.

“The unprecedented times demanded from us an immediate response,” said Mindy Freedman, founder of the organization. “We reached out to our recipients and reassured them of our support.”

“COVID-19 has created significant food insecurity across L.A., as more than 1 million people have lost their jobs and many places have shut down that provided a social safety net for those in need,” said Elizabeth Stephenson, interim director for Feed Hope.

Homeboy Industries stated in a press release that SAM’s grant funding has allowed their enterprise, Feed HOPE, to serve more than 10,000 pre-packaged meals a week for homebound seniors, youth at risk and others who are negatively impacted by the health crisis.

The SAM Initiative granted A New Way of Life $95,000 to provide housing, case management, pro bono legal services, advocacy and leadership development for women rebuilding their lives after prison.

“Receiving this grant was critical to the lives of the women that we serve and allowed us to expand our services and staffing at the very moment that the need was greatest,” said Susan Burton, founder of A New Way of Life.

“The SAM Initiative is coming up on its eighth funding cycle and is committed to educating themselves and addressing immediate needs,” Freedman said. “We will use our platform to shine a light on inequality and to serve the community with even greater compassion and tolerance.”

For information, visit SAMInitative.org.