Hunger is a global problem, and who would have thought that even progressive areas like Los Angeles are impacted by this issue.
Amidst the tourist spots that the world loves about Los Angeles, such as the posh celebrity villas in Beverly Hills and the shopping districts, and despite being the next host of the upcoming Olympics in 2028, this area is a place where hunger exists.
According to Volunteering in Los Angeles, one out of five Angelinos feels food insecure.
And, who are better groups to help those people cope up than their neighbors, right, yes?
This is why some Hollywood actors serving the movie and TV industries have started to team up with the professionals working behind-the-scenes to introduce food safety to the poor areas of Los Angeles.
One of these BTS professionals is Hillary Cohen, who currently works as assistant director for TV shows like “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Office,” and “Mad Men.”
As “divas” and celebrities in themselves, these people enjoy food the crew prepares, even gourmet and chef-prepared dishes sometimes.
At times, they are unable to finish the food, so there were leftovers. Some celebrities would just go on with the taping without thinking what could happen to the leftovers.
Take Cohen differently.
“They would just throw it out,” stated the 40-year-old Hollywood staff. “I was always told, ‘We can’t donate the food. … It’s too hard. If someone gets sick, it’s a liability.’”
So, Cohen right away founded Every Day Action, a non-profit that picks up extra food from film sets and other businesses and delivers it to communities in need around Los Angeles.
Smart move. This organization likewise works with Hollywood bigwigs such as The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
“Every Day Action safely, swiftly, and legally rescues the leftover gourmet catered meals from TV/film sets, select grocery stores, corporate events, food festivals, and more, and delivers them to those in need: our local unhoused and under-resourced communities of Los Angeles struggling with food insecurity,” the official website stated.
Since 2020, the pandemic era, the group has already redistributed a whopping over 270,000 meals. Every Day Action – which is a wordplay for “Lights, Camera, Action!” – the group picks up meals 24 hours a day and seven days a week from five to 10 locations daily, covering an estimated 90-mile radius in Los Angeles.
The food is distributed to shelters, food pantries, community fridges, homeless encampments, and even their co-non-profits.
“We’re the Grubhub [of Los Angeles’ hungry community],” Cohen indicated. “We take it from point A to point B.”