January 21, 2021

LAWT News Service

 

Cars lined up for hours on Santa Rosalia Drive near the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza on Jan. 16 to receive 20 lb. boxes of meats and vegetables.  The contactless drive-through food distribution program was part of Community Resource System of South Los Angeles (CRSSLA) partnership with Ignited Life to commemorate A Day of Service in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 

“One of CRSSLA’s main goals is to provide emergency resources to the community,” CRSSLA Founder Robert Sausedo said.  “It’s all about partnerships. 

In 2020, CRSSLA and its partner agencies, distributed over 100,000 pounds of food to individuals and families throughout Los Angeles. 

We’re starting off 2021 partnering with Ignited Life at their MLK Day of Service, where we distributed over 500 boxes of perishable and non-perishable food boxes, including 10 lbs. of frozen chicken and other meats.”

CRSSLA purchased $15,000 in food boxes from a wholesaler specifically for MLK event.  Ignited Life provided an additional 425 boxes of non-perishable food. 

This is the 5th year Ignited Life has produced the MLK Day of Service and the first time they have coordinated a drive-through contactless food distribution program.

The event also included free COVID testing administered by the Los Angeles Fire Department and HIV/AIDS testing administered by AID Health Foundation Los Angeles.  All services were free.

 

Ignited Life Founder Cassandra Bailey first had the idea of a MLK Day of Service in 2015 after listening to President Obama talk about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as being a day for service, not a day off. 

“We call it a day on, not a day off.” Bailey said.

“Rather than taking the King Holiday off and not doing anything, we use that day to serve to others.”

Los Angeles resident Danielle King waited patiently in line for an hour to get a food box filled with fruits and vegetables and 10 lbs. of frozen chicken meat. 

“It was worth the wait,” said the single mother of three.  “This will feed us for at least a few weeks.  I am so glad they’re doing this.”

CRSSLA was founded in March 2020 by Community Build, Inc.

 

President Robert Sausedo to identify resources for emergency operations centers, medical triage, distribution centers and command centers that coordinate with various government agencies for deploying information and resources in South L.A. in the case of a crisis. 

CRSSLA is comprised of over 30 South L.A. community-based organizations, churches, educational institutions and stakeholders.  For more information, visit crssla.org.

 

Category: Community