It’s just past 7 a.m., and Daniel Williams has already been at work for four hours. He adjusts his cap and wipes his hands on his khakis before helping his colleague load trays of warm, tinfoil-wrapped meals into the back of a van. Work can be tiring, but Williams says he believes it’s all for a worthy cause.
Williams is the operational manager for One Hundred and Eighty Degrees and Still Standing, a government-reimbursed organization that runs feeding programs for low income communities. The organization formed at the grassroots level in 2009, when Angelique Miller – its founder – began giving out meals to children at her local park. In October 2011, facing growing demand, One Hundred and Eighty Degrees and Still Standing launched feeding programs to provide free, freshly-cooked meals to schools, daycares and elderly homes. The program’s operations started at a facility in Inglewood, but later moved to Pico Union.
“This location is the most viable for our operations,” Williams said. “It’s freeway accessible and centrally located, given that we deliver to a wide range of areas. It just made sense to base our activities here".
To date, the organization feeds up to 8000 children a day. In March 2014, the feeding programs were expanded to San Bernardino and Riverside County. However, there are still more than 12,000 children on the waiting list for the programs.
Food insecurity, defined by the USDA as a state in which “consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources” is a significant issue in Los Angeles. According to Feeding America’s 2016 “Map the Meal Gap” report, Los Angeles County is home to 1.39 million food insecure individuals; around 536,000 of these individuals are children. This puts LA’s overall food insecurity rate and the food insecurity rate for children at 14 percent and 22.8 percent respectively.
Williams believes food insecurity among children is a serious issue in the Pico Union neighborhood. He can tell by the parents’ relief when their children get delivered food, just how much their program is needed.
“For the majority of kids who receive our meals, it might be their only good meal of the day,” Williams said. “Parents are sometimes overwhelmed with the support and help they’re receiving. When we go to new feeding sites, a lot of the kids can't believe they're getting food for free. For some families, our program is their only option.”
Williams is committed to his job because he considers a strong diet essential to a child’s overall well-being.
“Proper nutrition isn’t just important for the kids’ physical health, it’s also important for their mental stimulation,” Williams said. “It’s vital for their success. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Nobody can function when they’re hungry.”
Studies have shown that children who are food insecure may encounter various consequences. They are more likely to require hospitalization, develop chronic health conditions like asthma and anemia and experience poor oral health. Additionally, they are more prone to behavioral problems like anxiety, aggression and attention deficit order. These problems can damage a child’s school performance, and create long-term health and economic inequalities.
Dr Alfred Lavi, a primary care physician and the founder of the United Care Family Medical Center in Pico Union, sees many patients who have problems related to poor eating habits. He acknowledges that it can be difficult for low income households to maintain nutritious and balanced diets.
“Many of my patients belong to either single parent or very large families,” Lavi said. “Parents think ‘well it’s obviously better for my kids to eat something, even something unhealthy, than nothing at all’. A lot of people look for food that’s cheap and convenient.”
Lavi believes that education is key in helping reduce food insecurity. He frequently has conversations with his patients about their dietary choices, and brings volunteer specialists into his clinic to assist patients without health insurance.
“If people aren’t aware of how severe the impacts of bad eating can be, they won’t feel the need to prioritize buying good food with the money they earn,” Lavi said.
Williams, who has worked for One Hundred and Eighty Degrees and Still Standing since its inception, is hopeful that more people will launch their own feeding programs in the future.
“As a result of our organization, at least three of our former employees have gone on to start their own programs,” Williams said. “The vision has expanded and we do encourage others to start similar programs in other cities.”