Fil-Am groups unite to send meals to LA-area seniors, front-liners and jobless

LOS ANGELES – Filipino senior citizens, front-line workers and the unemployed received meals from community organizations in the last two months, which helped lighten their load during the pandemic.

The Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO)’s Caretaker Project helped deliver more than 400 meals in partnership with Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), Mabuhay Credit Union (MCU), Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of SouthBay LA Area (FACC-SLAA), the Philippine Independence Day Foundation (PIDF), and the Filipino Community of Carson (FCC).

Community volunteers helping prepare food for seniors, front-line workers and the jobless during the pandemic. FYLPRO

Through SIPA, four Filipino restaurants – Tatang’s in North Hollywood, Native Fields in Walnut, HiFi Kitchen and BSweet in Los Angeles — delivered 200 meals at the end of December 2020 to Alexandria House and Everlasting Adult Day Care Center, which serves seniors and homeless community members.

“In this time of uncertainty, we cannot forget about our community. To help our small businesses along with boosting the residents morale, we wanted to get hot meals donated to the people who need it most during the holidays. That’s when we got the call from FYLPRO about their generous Caretaker Project,” said Dave Andrew, business coordinator at SIPA.

The donation program with Mabuhay Credit Union in January 2021, which was spearheaded by FYLPRO Treasurer Fred Docdocil, delivered 235 pre-packaged lunches from Manila Sunrise, Silog, and Jollibee to the medical front-liners at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in collaboration with PIDF and the FCC.

According to Docdocil, “it was truly a privilege to have the opportunity to be able to get the community together and amplify our attempts to honor the fearless front-liners at Harbor UCLA, while also supporting Filipino restaurants.”

Through a Booz Allen Foundation Innovation Grant, FYLPRO’s Caretaker Project launched in October 2020 with Tayo – a virtual help desk to connect Filipinos with vital, culturally relevant services such as wellness resources and legal assistance; debunk misinformation and warn against fraud and scams; and improve collection of data to better serve the community.

The Caretaker Project also supports direct care to the Filipino community’s most vulnerable social groups — seniors, frontline workers, and the unemployed – through this meal initiatives in collaboration with local organizations.

“While hopeful we’re at the tail end of this pandemic with COVID vaccines rolling out, we must continue supporting our healthcare heroes on the frontlines who are bearing a financial, emotional, and health burden during this ongoing crisis,” said FYLPRO President Louella Cabalona.

“I applaud the efforts of our community partners, our volunteers and our alumni in providing aid and services to members of our community, through the Caretaker Project and other initiatives, during this extraordinarily difficult time. May their generosity inspire many others in the future.”