City of West Hollywood Supports Food and Nutrition Programs that Ensure All Community Members Have Access to Nutritious Meals and Fresh Food

The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out about food and nutrition programs that ensure all community members in West Hollywood (including older adults, persons with disabilities, people living with HIV/AIDS, and others) have access to nutritious meals and fresh food.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is facing serious funding disruptions because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. More than 42 million Americans who depend on SNAP could soon struggle to get the food they need. In addition, the newly enacted federal budget includes structural cuts and more restrictive eligibility rules for SNAP, including expanded work requirements and higher costs for states, which are projected to strip benefits from up to four million participants. A combination of uncertain funding, increased state costs, and higher food prices has created a difficult situation for SNAP recipients and food-assistance providers.

"Access to nutritious food is a basic foundation for health, dignity, and community," said City of West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers. "As federal programs hang in the balance of the shutdown, locally funded food programs reflect our City's commitment to caring for one another, ensuring that older adults, people living with disabilities, and residents facing economic uncertainty or health challenges have the nourishment they need."

The City of West Hollywood invests in vital food and nutrition programs that address community needs and promote access to healthy meals. Through its Human Services Division, the City funds meal programs, groceries, and nutrition education. These programs include:

• The Seeds of Hope initiative, a program of The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, which provides fresh produce and pantry items, nutrition education, healthy cooking classes, and therapeutic gardening. Seeds of Hope hosts free food distributions every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard and every Thursday (starting Thursday, November 13, 2025) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Robertson Gardens area of West Hollywood Park, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard. West Hollywood community members can pick up free produce and staples to prepare meals at home at no cost. For more information, visit https://www.seedsofhopela.org or call (213) 482-2040.

• Jewish Family Service (JFS), which administers the JFS Senior Nutrition Program providing hot lunches every Monday to Friday for older adults and people living with disabilities in West Hollywood at the Plummer Park Community Center, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. JFS also operates the SOVA Community Food and Resource Program, which provides a pop-up pantry every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Plummer Park, specifically aims toward serving unhoused community members. The pop-up provides groceries, produce, toiletries, and other essential items, focusing on resources that do not require kitchen access or cooking facilities. In addition, SOVA operates a main food pantry near Pico Boulevard (near Robertson) in Los Angeles that is accessible to all community members and offers a broader selection of groceries and household items geared toward housed individuals. For more information, visit https://www.jfsla.org or call (818) 988-7682.

• Project Angel Food, which has a long-standing partnership with the City in offering home-delivered meals to people living with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. For more information, visit https://www.angelfood.org or call (323) 845-1800.

• World Harvest, which provides grocery vouchers available through the City's Food Access Program, redeemable for fresh produce, panty items, and essential household goods. West Hollywood community members interested in the program may call (213) 290-0364 (in both English and Russian) and mention they would like to access the West Hollywood Food Access Program. Staff will follow up by phone to confirm details. Once confirmed, clients will receive a unique code via text/SMS that allows them to pick up groceries upon arrival at the World Harvest facility, located at 3100 Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles (just east of N. La Brea Avenue). For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, email World Harvest at [email protected].

Farm Habit is working with the City's Recreation Services Division on its Shutdown Dollar Program at the Helen Albert Certified Farmers' Market. The market takes place on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Plummer Park in the North Parking Lot. The Shutdown Dollar Program provides $15 in shopping credits to customers with a $0 EBT balance during the federal SNAP disruptions. These Shutdown Dollars can be used to purchase eligible food items (fresh produce, breads, yogurts, etc.). Community members wishing to assist with donations can contribute to the Sprouts of Promise Shutdown Emergency Fund at https://www.farmhabit.com to support the Shutdown Dollar Program.

Additionally, Los Angeles County has a network of more than 900 food pantries in place, coordinated by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Food is available now for anyone who needs it, and supplies will increase in November. Find a local food pantry at https://www.lafoodbank.org/find-food/pantry-locator.

Other nearby sources of free and nutritious meals for community members include the Los Angeles Unified School District (https://www.lausd.org/FoodHelp), the YMCA of Greater Los Angeles (https://www.ymcala.org/programs/social/feedla), and Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation (https://parks.lacounty.gov/lacounty-parks-food-programs).

The City of West Hollywood's Human Services Division connects community members with vital social service programs, health education, and resources that reflect the City's core values of respect and support for people. Programs coordinated by the City's Human Services Division address a wide range of community needs including access to food and shelter, HIV/AIDS education, early childhood support, employment assistance, legal guidance, and mental health resources. In addition, the City's Human Services Division leads strategic initiatives and policy development to support vulnerable residents and strengthen community well-being. For additional information, please visit https://www.weho.org/humanservices.

In the coming days, the City of West Hollywood will activate its WeHo Responds program to encourage donations to local organizations and food banks in need of urgent support to meet increased demand.

For more information or to connect to services, please call the City of West Hollywood's Human Services Division at (323) 848-6510 or [email protected]. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at https://www.weho.org/email, and visit the City's calendar of meetings and events at https://www.weho.org/calendar. Receive text updates by texting "WeHo" to (323) 848-5000.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood's Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or [email protected].