Imagine Hope: June 2020
As Busy As Ever: A Report from Imagine LA’s Grab and Go Distribution Event
Imagine Hope is a one-year blogging project being undertaken by Caitlin Newby as she engages with Imagine LA at the deepest levels and shares her experiences and reflections.
On Friday, May 8, I drove down to the Imagine LA’s offices near MacArthur Park to observe and report on the first of their Grab and Go distribution events, one of several programs that Imagine LA has launched to support their families through the global pandemic.
I was instructed to arrive at 11:45 a.m., as the event was to run from noon until 2:00 p.m.—but when I arrived at Granada Buildings, the handful of volunteers already there were scrambling back and forth from tables set up with family care packages to a line of cars that had already arrived! Val Vogt, Imagine LA’s Event Specialist and cheerleader extraordinaire, later told me that families started showing up at 11:15 a.m., which surely shows just how necessary the care packages are to our families (to say nothing of having an excuse to get out of the house!).
As part of their care package, each family received a box containing non-perishable food items, basic needs items, family fun supplies, and more. It was a scorching hot day, and those boxes were heavy, packed with dried and canned goods. Each box of essential items and toys was tailored to the size and age range of the family to meet each family where they’re at – since diapers aren’t very helpful to a mom with teens, and graphic novels aren’t exactly reading material for toddlers! Items included toilet paper, bath towels, soap and shampoo, and sanitizer, as well as entertaining items for the whole family, like games, toys, books, and coloring supplies.
Part of the reason for the early arrival of so many families was to make sure they got one of the 50 hot food boxes, provided by Malibu caterer and chef Jennifer Naylor. It was a generous and much appreciated contribution to the event from someone working in an industry that has been hit hard by COVID-19. When Jen, Jess, and Tricia arrived (like heroes!) with the food boxes, I rolled up sleeves, put on my gloves, and helped hand-deliver the food boxes to the waiting families. The smiles on their face made every sweat drop worth it.
After the food boxes were distributed, things finally began to slow down. A handful of families came by in the second hour, but the volunteers were able to take some time to rest and regroup in the shade between arrivals. Jill Bauman, Imagine LA’s President and CEO, even stopped by to check in on things, and as it was her birthday, we all sang a round of “Happy Birthday” to the boss! It was wonderful to finally meet other members of the Imagine LA team—Val, Jill, and Emilee Palau, Executive Assistant at Imagine LA, who was also running the event—and chat with the volunteers. I even got to share with everyone my excitement in having received notification that I had been matched with my mentee (stay tuned for more in next month’s column!). Despite the shutdown of so much across the city, Imagine LA is still as busy as ever, and their families are in even more need of supplies and support.