AV Food program benefits low-income families
Applicants still being accepted
A food program to benefit families with low incomes in Los Angeles County has been instituted by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and the Antelope Valley, this short-term food giveaway began in June and ends September 30. The program is accepting applications at two locations: Quartz Hill Foursquare Church and Grace Resource Center.
The program has helped more than 400 families between the two sites. Organizers hope to double that number before the food giveaway ends. “We’ve been doing this type of work for 20 years,” Grace Resource Center Assistant Director John Cooper said. “Our organization specializes in supplying food and other goods to the less fortunate. So the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank felt we would be a good fit.” Quartz Hill Foursquare Church was also a good complement for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank program.
“The Food Bank offered (this opportunity to serve low-income families) to us,” said Sue Brown Quartz Hill Foursquare church administrator. “Through the Food Bank, we distribute food every Friday through our church’s own ministry.”
The program that the Grace Resource Center and Quartz Hill Foursquare Church are participating in with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). They give needy families a 30-pound bag of groceries which includes: oatmeal, milk, tuna, pinto beans, fruit juice, peanut butter, and vegetables.
The food is for families who qualify, and the criteria for ARRA applicants are:
• Must have at least one child under 18 living in the place of residence.
• Must have at least one United States citizen or permanent resident living in the house/apartment.
At Quartz Hill Foursquare Church (6015 West Avenue, J-8, Lancaster), ARRA sign-up and distribution is from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second Saturday of each month. For more details, call (661) 943-1074.
At Grace Resource Center (45134 Sierra Highway, Lancaster) ARRA sign-up and distribution is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more details, call (661) 940-5272.
Each family must provide: Proof of at least one child under 18 living in the household; proof of at least one U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident living in the home; and proof of income (monthly income cannot exceed $3,675).
September will be the last month.
As the nation slowly emerges from the Great Recession, the economic numbers for the Antelope Valley show a much higher rate of sustained unemployment and devalued housing prices in both Lancaster and Palmdale.
The five-year economic downturn saw much of the area’s the job losses come from the construction industry and retail sales. At the beginning of the year, Lancaster had an unemployment rate of 14.4 percent while Palmdale fared better at 11.1 percent. In 2008 the two cities lost a little fewer than 1,000 jobs combined, according to a 2009 report.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Violent crimes in areas patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department declined by more than 12.5 percent in the first nine months of 2011 compared with the same period last year, according to the department.
Serious property crimes declined by 3.5 percent in sheriff’s patrol areas countywide during that period, compared to the first nine months of 2010, according to the sheriff’s department.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A three-day count of the homeless population in much of Los Angeles County will begin tonight in the San Gabriel Valley and East Los Angeles.
What is billed as the nation's largest count of the homeless is conducted every two years and is headed by the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — In light of a 63-year-old woman being mauled to death by pit bulls in the high desert community of Littlerock, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today asked staffers today to evaluate a proposed change in the county’s definition of a dangerous dog.
Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who said “four killer pit bulls” attacked Pamela Devitt, called for the change.
Despite the fact that a record 1.13 million individuals in Los Angeles County received CalFresh benefits in January 2013, there are still many residents in immediate need of assistance who are unaware that they may be eligible for the benefit.
Consequently, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to launch another campaign reminding people that May is CalFresh Awareness Month and that the help is available.
Additionally, the compaign is designed to promote healthier food choices in the nation’s largest and most diverse county.
