Volunteers help the Hollywood Food Coalition redistribute food to other social service organizations for their clients. (photo by David Livingston)

The Hollywood Food Coalition, a nonprofit that for 32 years has been serving meals to homeless individuals, has launched a new program to ensure food is distributed to more people in need.

Known as Community Exchange, the program redirects food donated to the coalition and not used for its nightly meal service to other organizations serving people in the community. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the food coalition began seeing an increase in the number of people coming for the nightly meals at the Salvation Army’s Weingart Hollywood Community Center, Executive Director Sherry Bonanno said. Administrators knew the need was also growing for other service providers and decided to begin the exchange to ensure that excess food not being served by the collation is provided to other nonprofits for their clients.

“Establishing a Community Exchange allows the Hollywood Food Coalition to extend our mission and our work to even more people during these unprecedented times, in a way that meets the particular needs of the people and organizations we serve,” Bonanno said.

The exchange is based at the Hollywood United Methodist Church, where organizations pick up the food. The exchange enables organizations to select certain types of food and amounts to specifically meet their needs.

The program was made possible through the support of benefactors and longtime partners of the coalition. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center provided $50,000 for a freezer to store food prior to redistribution. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has also pitched in by coordinating the delivery of food from local restaurants and businesses. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has donated prepared meals. Other donors include NBC Universal, Sprinkles Cupcakes and Canter’s Deli.

“We have been donating for years,” Jacqueline Canter said. “Every day, whatever we don’t sell, we give it to the food banks. It’s something my grandparents started. We have always believed that you have to feed people who are hungry, and it’s especially needed now.”

The coalition has redistributed food to approximately 40 organizations including My Friends Place and Blessed Sacrament, which provide resources for homeless individuals in Hollywood. Approximately 172,000 pounds of food has already been distributed.

“The Community Exchange has been an incredibly helpful addition to our services,” said Phoebe Phaigh, of the Blessed Sacrament Food Pantry. “Like many service organizations, we are struggling to fill the devastating and growing needs that COVID-19 has brought. The food and supplies we’ve received from the Hollywood Food Coalition, which is specifically tailored to our needs, has allowed us to help more families with basic supplies and food.”

Bonanno said the Hollywood Food Coalition provides meals for approximately 200 people on weekdays at the Salvation Army, 5941 Hollywood Blvd., and 100 to 150 on weekends when food is provided from a truck at the corner of Orange Drive and Romaine Street. The meals service begins at 6:30 p.m., and anyone in need is welcome.

Bonanno also said volunteers and more food donations are always needed, and anyone wishing to help is urged to visit hofoco.org.

“We have to work together to make sure the food gets to people who don’t always have access to a nutritious meal,” Bonanno added. “We are trying to provide opportunities in other ways.”