With a commitment to seniors' well-being, L.A. provides free at-home meals for elders

With hopes of alleviating the increasing number of seniors struggling with food insecurity, the City of Los Angeles is continuing a partnership between the Department of Aging (DOA) and Everytable, a grab-and-go food service business and restaurant, to deliver free meals to seniors 60 years of age and older living across Los Angeles. 

The program, known as the Rapid Response Senior Meals Program, is crafted to benefit individuals in need of additional food support. Eligible individuals will be able to obtain five free prepared meals per week delivered directly to their homes.

“The City of LA's Mayor, City Council, and Department of Aging deeply understand the significance of ensuring older adults have effortless access to high-quality nutrition,” Everytable stated. ”Research highlights that hunger can have detrimental effects on cognitive functioning, exacerbating with age.”

Seniors represent the fastest-growing homeless population in Los Angeles, and with that comes the inability to secure fresh food or groceries. In January 2023, the city’s Department of Aging surveyed participants in prior emergency meal programs. The survey revealed that over 5,000 seniors in L.A. did not have adequate access to healthy, nutritious and economical meals, but the department believes the number could be much higher.

To be eligible to receive food support, applicants must be 60 and older and must indicate that they reside in the city of Los Angeles, according to the Department of Aging. The application only takes a few minutes and no other documents are required. Interested seniors and their caretakers can apply online via the city’s Department of Aging, but applications can also be submitted by calling (213) 202-5669. 

Low-income people of color are among the most impacted by food insecurity. In Los Angeles County, every 3 in 10 households experienced food insecurity in 2023, according to a USC study published last September. The study found that food insecurity because of limited money or other resources disproportionately impacts Latino communities. 

According to the USC Dornsife study, ”In 2023, we found that rates of food insecurity were more than two times higher among Latino (38%) and Black/African American (38%) residents, compared to white residents (16%).”

In addition, the same study showed that although L.A. residents who experience food insecurity are often those who seek out food assistance like CalFres and/or WIC, these programs and services do not always meet all of the individual's food needs. According to the study, 50% of households receiving CalFresh in July 2023 were food insecure, an increase from 2022, when 36% of households receiving CalFresh were food insecure. 

There is also a larger group of people in L.A. who do not receive any type of food assistance. In July 2023, USC data indicated that of the more than 1 million L.A. County households that had experienced food insecurity in the past year, 59% (≈592,000 households) were not receiving CalFresh or WIC benefits. 

Everytable was founded in 2016 by Sam Polk with the purpose of fighting for food justice by selling inexpensive, healthy, chef-prepared meals. Polk, who was born in L.A., began Everytable as a grab-and-go restaurant concept in South Central L.A., one of the areas most impacted by food insecurity and what many food justice advocates describe as a “food desert,” which are areas with no supermarkets, fresh food or farmers markets within a one-mile radius.

Polk appeared on season nine of the popular reality show "Shark Tank," and pitched Everytable as a fresh food business that would tweak the prices of its meals according to the area it was catering to and what its residents could afford. In South L.A., meals start at $4. 

Curren Price, councilmember of L.A.'s District 9, which encompasses South L.A. and Watts areas such as Vermont Square, Central-Alameda, Green Meadows, the University of Southern California, Exposition Park and L.A. Live, said he is happy about the partnership with Everytable. 

“Four years ago, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, my office was one of the first in the city to develop a meal delivery service for our senior community,” he said. “As many of our elders continue to grapple with food insecurities, I'm excited to announce the continued partnership between the L.A. Department of Aging and Everytable, delivering free meals to seniors in the area who are falling through the cracks.”

For the Rapid Response Senior Meals Program, individuals who apply will be able to receive some Everytable meals at no cost. The meal boxes will be delivered once per week to individual residences, and a call, text, and email will be provided as a reminder before delivery. 

To learn more about the Rapid Response Senior Meals Program, visit https://aging.lacity.gov/senior-meal-program/