LASA continued thinking about food insecurity in LA this month, welcoming LASA Alum Patrick Hudnut of the Hollywood Food Coalition and Carole Di Poi from The Huntington. LASA also welcomed back Alum West Point Cadet Trevor Kwak to share how LASA impacted his journey; we were also grateful for an extra set of orange picking hands!
Josh reflected, “In LASA this week, two former LASA students showed us what they’ve been able to achieve since their time with the program. It was awesome to hear the trajectory of their lives, and how this program might’ve helped them continue down the path they’ve succeeded so much in. It’s so nice to see experts in a field, and so valuable when you have a real connection to them!”
Patrick began by answering LASA’s questions ranging from how food is moved throughout the city, to volunteer opportunities, to the impact of January’s fire on his work. Mia noted, “Food insecurity, especially as it relates to food waste, is an issue that really interests me. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to and ask questions to Mr. Hudnut, and the fact that he is a LASA alum made the experience even more special.
I am passionate about using innovation and entrepreneurship to better our community, and the way the Hollywood Food Coalition simultaneously addressed mass food waste and mass food insecurity really stuck out to me. I have explored ways to combat mass food waste on farms/in grocery stores, however I encountered the issue of grocery stores not being able to give excess/imperfect products away in fear of tarnishing their reputation. As such, I was excited to hear that there is CA legislature that incentivizes/mandates food waste redistribution on some level.”
Carola then joined us and walked us over to The Huntington’s private orange grove. We enjoyed picking (and sampling) the fruit. Hope added, “I very much enjoyed the orange picking as it allowed me to be outside in the sun and was fun to find the best oranges.” We then toured the Ranch and experimental gardens.
Patrick drove the oranges to the Coalition and shared that LASA picked an “astonishing” 975 lbs. of oranges. Within days, Patrick reported that: “Our team has already distributed more than half of the oranges to a handful of orgs: HoFoCo’s dinner program, My Friend’s Place (services for unhoused youth in Hollywood that have aged out of the foster system), Genevieve’s Garden (lunch program at a local church), and Ascencia (homeless services). The rest of the oranges should be gone by tomorrow morning. One of my colleagues reminded me that produce that can be eaten right away, like these oranges, are some of our most requested items, so these delicious oranges are such a treat!”
Thanks to Patrick, Carola, and Trevor for your time and work. We look forward to gathering again in April.