Jewish Family Service LA Distributes Thanksgiving Groceries to 1,000 Households in Need
LOS ANGELES — Every Thanksgiving, Jewish Family Service LA (JFSLA), the city’s oldest social service agency, plays an important role in ensuring that Angelenos have access to the groceries they need to have a Thanksgiving meal. This year, JFSLA staff and volunteers distributed Thanksgiving meal staples to 1,000 households across Los Angeles.
Year round, JFSLA’s SOVA Community Food & Resource Program ensures everyone in Los Angeles has access to fresh, healthy groceries, essential personal care items, and connections to additional resources that can support participants and their families. On Friday, November 22nd, SOVA hosted its annual drive-thru Thanksgiving distribution at its two pantry locations in Pico-Robertson and Van Nuys.
Brittany Nazarian, JFSLA Director of SOVA, said, “The work of SOVA extends beyond the holiday season, but Thanksgiving is a special time for our clients, staff, and volunteers.”
With two food pantries and several pop-up pantries in the greater Los Angeles area, the SOVA Community Food & Resource Program serves as a lifeline for thousands of families throughout the year, offering a host of services, including groceries, care items, and connections to additional resources. In 2024 alone, SOVA distributed 3 million pounds of food to 23,000 Angelenos who visited SOVA pantries 57,000 times.
This year’s distribution served 1,000 households and over 1,700 individual clients. Those who attended were given turkey, potatoes, yams, stuffing, cranberries, green beans and canned pie fruit–everything needed for a Thanksgiving dinner.
Nazarian added, “Access to food resources remains a pressing challenge, as over 1 million Angelenos face food insecurity. JFSLA’s SOVA Community Food & Resource Program is proud to support our neighbors, whether it be at Thanksgiving or any time of year.”
In total, 16 staff members and 30 volunteers helped pass out groceries at the two drive-thru centers, and a week prior, 40 volunteers came together to help pack and organize 1,900 bags of food.
