The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized insecurity surrounding basic necessities, one of the primary ones being the need for ample, nutritious food. While the pandemic has mostly subsided, that hunger remains in spades, with one local group continuing to fight for food where it is needed most.
On Sunday, the Westside Food Bank held its 33rd annual 5K Hunger Walk, an awareness and fundraising event for the food assistance organization. Hundreds of locals donned blue shirts with the group’s namesake, strolling along the Ocean Front Walk in Santa Monica to spotlight a food crisis that Westside President and CEO Genevieve Riutort says is at a "record high."
"We wanted to find a way to bring the community together to celebrate the work that we do, and also raise awareness about the need for food assistance … it’s really an equal opportunity event to come together .. .and also make a statement when you see several hundred people wearing the same shirt walking down [along the beach]," Riutort said.
This was Riutort’s 20th year being involved in the walk, but the first time she was able to walk herself after being an on-site organizer for two decades. The event was able to raise $115,000 from 400 participants, with the top individual donor being Martha Ross at $5,000, and the top team donor being the 4th grade class of St. Matthew’s Parish School at $6,618 raised.
Westside provides food for approximately 90 agencies on the west end of Los Angeles County, operating as a warehouse hub that receives food either donated or purchased on the wholesale market, similar to a grocery store. That food is then distributed to the agencies that hand them to individuals through pantries as well as programs like shelters, Boys and Girls Clubs and school programs, including at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
Riutort has had personal experience of food insecurity, stating she knows what it is like "to be on the other side" of the crisis.
"Food assistance really makes a huge difference and relieves people of such a huge burden, and really helps to empower people to face whatever other challenges that they may be dealing with, when you know there’s going to be food," she said. "I really bring my heart and soul into this work."
She noted that the "basic bottom line is that everybody needs food," particularly vulnerable populations that are at risk of both food insecurity and diseases exacerbated by a poor diet, such as diabetes and hypertension. Westside emphasizes nutritional needs, distributing fresh produce along with "staple" foods like eggs, rice and beans. She also added that the food crisis is of utmost concern due to the phasing out of pandemic-era assistance programs, and that food insecurity now impacts roughly 3 out of 10 Los Angeles area residents.
"We feel like if we can provide that food, not only do we keep our communities healthier, but we’re also helping to prevent people from losing their housing," Riutort said. "By giving them food for free, that can often make the difference between having that extra money to pay the rent, or get the medical care they need, or pay for child care."
The organization will be further involved in Santa Monica events during the holiday season, taking part in the Fairmont Miramar’s Meet Me Under The Fig Tree event on Dec. 11 and the Santa Monica Pub Crawl on Dec. 16. For more information on the group, visit wsfb.org as the Hunger Walk donation page will stay up until Nov. 15.
thomas@smdp.com
