Food Bank and Sandwich Table

Los Angeles Housing Partnership (LAHP), owner of the building that is home to HOLA Central, provides the community with a monthly food bank held in the building’s parking lot. HOLA students learn the importance of giving back to their community by helping distribute the food. These food donations are especially meaningful during the holidays, providing the means for our neighborhood families to celebrate the holidays with food on their tables.

The “Sandwich Table” dates back to 1994, when HOLA’s after-school activities took place at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church. One of the senior members of the congregation — Liz Morgan, the church’s volunteer receptionist — noticed that many of the youth were going to the church’s food bank to request food. Over a short period of time, as the requests increased and became more frequent, she convinced some of the other senior members of the church to donate sandwich supplies to start a “Sandwich Table”. Liz’s weekly Sandwich Table became an instant hit and HOLA ritual. Over the years, as HOLA moved to Bryson building and began buying the supplies, some wonderful mothers followed Liz to volunteer as the “Sandwich Lady”. For the past three years, Señora Lillia, the mother of an HOLA high school student has been staffing the Thursday Sandwich Table.