2023 LCS Year In Review

YEAR IN REVIEW 2023

Letter From Our Executive Director

As we reflect on the accomplishments we achieved in 2023 in the fight against food insecurity in our communities, we are blessed to be able to see our work make a significant impact in areas throughout Los Angeles County where the assistance was needed the most. Internally, we pushed forward with improving our operations so that we can more effectively serve working families and be a more reliable partner with local groups and organizations with whom we have developed strategic partnerships that have allowed LCS to broaden the scale of our work.

2023 was a year that proved to us the importance of an organization like Labor Community Services. From the Hollywood Entertainment Industry Strike, that saw actors and writers endure a labor work stoppage that lasted most of the year, to the devastation our brothers and sisters in Hawaii experienced with historic wildfires, Labor Community Services proudly answered the call for help. In addition, we began to develop new key relationships with organizations such as the First AME Church, who have been pillars in our country in the fight for civil rights and social equality. We see our resources reach deeper into our city, bringing hope where it is needed the most.

In addition, last year gave us an opportunity to celebrate our unsung heroes in the Labor Movement, those who have dedicated their lives to making sure that the voices of workers in our city and our country would be heard and respected. Through our Annual Dolores Huerta Spirit Awards, we honored individuals like our sister Sylvia Carranza, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her long lasting career in Labor, and Joel Barton, who retired from his position as the Business Manager/Financial Secretary for IBEW Local 11, a key ally and partner throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic who continues to be there alongside with us. In addition, it has given us the opportunity to honor the iconic Labor and Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta, who continues to inspire us to be warriors on behalf of those who need us to fight for them to live a life of dignity and respect.

We are blessed to work with such inspiring and uplifting people who give onto others out of service onto others.

Lastly, 2023 served as a year of transition for Labor Community Services as we prepare to expand our programs in 2024 and take on new challenges. We plan to move into a new headquarters that will allow us to centralize our internal operations and have the space necessary to make a greater impact for those who rely on us the most. Once again, we thank Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, whose leadership in the state legislature secured the historic $15 million grant for Labor Community Services that is making all of this possible.

As we see changes in our country’s economy and as people continue to face challenges in feeding and caring for their loved ones, Labor Community Services is in the best position ever to be a leader in ensuring that those in need have an organization that they can rely on. This is only possible because of all you.

I, along with you, will be looking at what great things Labor Community Services achieves in the future from the sidelines as I have retired as the organization’s Executive Director. It is a position I have had the honor of holding now twice, and I will cherish the friendships and the memories that we have made together out in the frontlines together, making sure that people knew that in their toughest hour, they were not alone. I am blessed to know that LCS has a bright future and we together cemented its foundation that will allow it to continue to serve as a an anchor of hope for those who need us the most.

May we look ahead at the new year with a renewed sense of hope and optimism that will empower us to be agents of change in our communities.

Armando Olivas Executive Director (Ret.) Labor Community Services

Our Impact - By The Numbers

In 2023, we continued to witness many families throughout Southern California who are facing food insecurity at home. The rising costs of groceries and other living expenses have created challenges for those who are struggling to make ends meet and who are seeking ways to provide the basic needs for their families and loved ones. In addition, we saw a greater need for aid for union members who endured work stoppages as they fight for livable wages. This was not only impact union members, as workers for businesses in associated sectors saw a need for help as the entertainment and hospitality industries each have key partners they rely upon, such as security guards, caterers, cleaners, drivers and more.

Once again, LCS’ impact went beyond the food we distributed.

In the shadows of our country’s workforce exist immigrants who are being used and exploited for their labor, facing harsh work conditions and inhumane abuse by those who seek to profit from their hard work and take advantage their residency status. Often times, these communities don’t get the assistance and relief that they need and are forced to endure without any support.

Last year, Labor Community Services collaborated with the Thai Community Center and the United States Department of Labor to provide assistance to exploited indigenous Guatemalan poultry workers in the City of Industry and La Puente. The workers (which included many minors) received food assistance from LCS along with PPE and COVID-19 kits, along with a U.S. Department of Labor payout of back wages that they were owed, totaling over $3.8 million.

Exploitation in the poultry industry is rampant across the country. Two 16-year-old minors from Guatemala were killed by a deboning machine at a poultry factory in Mississippi.

As efforts get underway to launch a campaign holding the poultry industry accountable for labor exploitation and human traficking, we look forward to being a partner in those e bring support and resources to those exploited workers who deserve our help and assistance.

Making A Difference Where It’s Needed

Our ability to help families in need relies on working with labor unions, community-based organizations and elected oficials so that we can identify and target areas that are in need of support and assistance.

In 2023, we expanded into new cities and revisited many locations where there continues to be a significant need to help those dealing with food insecurities. These events were a huge undertaking, which was only made possible through our collaborative efforts with labor unions, community groups and organizations and community leaders who stepped up to the plate to take on organizing roles within their communities to bring relief to families in need. In addition, LCS had to stretch its limits as the call for help arrived requesting emergency relief in places such as Maui.

Here are just a few photos from our 2023 food distributions and our holiday food and toy distribution event.

Ready To Help When It Matters Most

During the holiday aseaons, we saw a greater need for help in our communities during the holiday season. Beyond the need for food assistance, we saw working families seeking more than just another meal - we saw them seek hope.

It is a greater need that helps empower our team and our volunteers to go the extra mile and be able to assist in more ways than one. During the 2023 Holiday Season throughout our food distributions and coordinated efforts, LCS distributed over 1,000 turkeys, 12,500 boxes of food, 3,700 food gift cards and over 5,600 toys.

Our main turkey distribution event took place on November 18, 2023 in the City of Commerce, at the IBEW Electrical Training Center. Thanks to the help from our dedicated volunteers, LCS was able to help families in a line that stretched over 2 miles long with turkeys and other food goods.

While we coordinated toy distributions with local labor unions in Southern California from our warehouse in the City of Bell, our main Holiday Food and Toy Distribution event took place on December 17, 2022 at the LA Fed.

Our work during the Holidays is labor intensive and takes a heavy toll on us, but it also carries special meaning to our staff and volunteers, which is what makes those moments even more important - for us and for the families who we support, we are blessed to be able to bring a smile to their faces.

Stamping Out Hunger in Record Numbers

Labor Community Services (LCS) and The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) came together to help fight hunger within our communities through the largest one-day food drive in our country – the “Stamp Out Hunger” campaign. The even took place on May 13th, 2023. First held in 1983, the “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive has helped feed millions of Americans by providing residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need.

To participate in the food drive, participants simply leave their donation of non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before the delivery of the mail on that Saturday. Letter carriers and LCS would collect these food donations as they delivered mail along their postal routes, and distribute them to local food banks, pantries, shelters and

This year in Southern California, the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 24 again partnered up with LCS to help coordinate the food drive campaign. We shipped bags to households across Los Angeles and helped mobilize volunteers who adopted local post ofices where the letters carriers dropped off the food. Volunteers then helped collect it and transfer it into large bins. Those bins were transported o LCS’ warehouse where the food was sorted and stored away for distribution to participating community organizations. In total, over 1 million pounds of food were collected, breaking records in the yearly tradition of hope that is delivered to doorsteps of those in need of food assistance. We have begun planning the 2024 Stamp Out Hunger campaign, aiming for even greater success.

This e ffort was made possible through the leadership efforts of LCS in overseeing the work and coordinating with key volunteers throughout Los Angeles County. One important element was the food sorting process that takes place after the food is collected and delivered to our LCS warehouse. With the help or labor unions and organizations like the SoCal Gas Company, we were able to sort the food quickly and made sure that we could get the food to the families who needed it the most.

Scan or click the QR code below to see how the help from SoCal Gas and its employees made a huge di

Coming to the Aid of Maui’s Families

On August 8, 2023, a series of damaging wind-driven wildfires erupted in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Predominantly on the island of Maui, four widelyseparated and simultaneous ires prompted evacuations

be ready and able to respond to emergency crisis like this one and it was an honor.

When Hollywood Shut Down, We Took Action

In 2023, Hollywood and the entire entertainment industry was brought to a stop as the actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild –American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and the writers’ union WGA (Writers Guild of America) were on strike over labor disputes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). As the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA history, its combined impact with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike resulted in the loss of 45,000 jobs. According to Deadline Hollywood, the "harshest pain" was "perhaps felt among the below-the-line workers who've had to sell or mortgage their homes, and wipe through IRAs to survive.”

The impact could be felt throughout Southern California as the work stoppage impacted various economic sectors who depend on the entertainment industry for income. It was a domino effect that resulted an estimated $6.5 billion loss to the economy of Southern California. Throughout the labor strikes, Labor Community Services worked closely with IATSE and Teamsters to host numerous food distributions aimed at helping their members, along with any worker who was financially impacted from the work stoppage. From Burbank to Santa Clarita, the distributions made a positive impact in the lives of thousands of families.

Both SAG AFTRA and the WAA fought hard to make sure that their members received the wages and benefits they deserved. It was a fight that required them to stand strong and united throughout the process. Labor Community Services is proud to have stood with them in solidarity during those tough times.

Training Our Community’s Leaders

Living in Southern California, we know that we need to be ready for whenever an emergency hits our region. Whether it’s a labor dispute or a natural disaster, like an earthquake, we in Southern California need to be ready. For Labor Community Services, it is not only important for our team to be ready to be called into action, but to help others in our communities be ready to

In 2023, LCS once again hosted a class at Los Angeles Trade Tech, teaching the fundamentals of emergency response - whether a natural disaster hits or a labor dispute leads to a work stoppage and members are left without employment for extended periods of times. Enrollment in the class grew this year, with students driving from as far as San Diego for 2 weekends in a row to get the information provided and take the lessons learned back to their respective communities and share that knowledge with

ic to labor strikes, the reality of not having a paycheck can impact the livelihood of any household overnight. The insecurity of not knowing how long one will be without work can cause tremendous stress for workers and their loved ones. Our

In 2024, we plan to expand our trainings regionally and explore new ways where we can provide these trainings to community and labor partners so that we can all be better prepared to help any family in need when the time arises for any of us to step in to help.

Honoring Our Labor Champions

On Saturday, September 10th, 2023, Labor Community Services hosted the Third Annual Dolores Huerta Spirit Awards. Once again, we held the event at the LiUNA Laborers Local 300 Headquarters, which set the perfect setting for a memorable event to be had by all. We are thankful to our brother Sergio Rascon and to the entire team at Laborers 300 for being such gracious hosts and partners throughout the year in helping our brothers and sisters in need.

Our 2023 honorees included:

Sylvia Carranza, who was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her lifelong dedication to working men and women in Organized Labor.

Xochitl Cobarruvias, President of LCLAA Los Angeles Chapter, who was awarded the Workers Champions Awards for her dedication to helping empower the voice of Latino families within Organized Labor.

IBEW Local 11 Business Manager/Financial Secretary Joel Barton, who was awarded with the Inspiration Leadership Award for his key role as partner for our “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive and help during the holidays in hosting our Annual Thanksgiving Day Food Distribution.

International Paper Company with our Community Partner Award, for their commitment to working with LCS in the effort to assist families facing food insecurities throughout Southern California with their help in creating the boxes which we use for our food distributions.

Chanchanit “Chance’s” Martorell, Executive Director of the Thai Community Development Center in partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, with the Special Community Partner Award for her work in empowering and fighting for the rights of exploited immigrants and workers throughout Southern California.

Lastly, Al Cromer, President of of the Year Award for his relentless service throughout our food distributions where he

At 93 years young, Labor Leader and Civil Rights Icon Dolores Huerta continues to inspire us to be agents of change in our communities.

Thank You To Our Sponsors

The Annual Dolores Huerta Spirit Awards allows us the opportunity to come together to celebrate our successful efforts to in helping those in need along with recognizing key figures who helped make our work possible.

LCS Board of Directors & Staff

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Lawrence Brown, Jr. National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 24

Secretary

Nancy Oshima LA County Fed (Retired)

dooner Art Directors Guild IATSE 800

David Greene SEIU 721

Tom Csekey SEIU 2015

Armando Olivas Executive Director (Ret.)

Deliana Speights UFWC 1428

Vice President

Kathleen Yasuda Los Angeles College Faculty Guild

Yvonne Wheeler LA County Fed

Chanchanit Martorell Thai Community Development Center

Chris Griswold Teamsters Loca 986

Colin Lavin IBEW Local 47

Sandra Hernandez CSEA 477

Rex Pritchard Long Beach Fire Fighters IAFF Local 372

STAFF

Norma López Executive Director

Marcos Juan Program Manager

Taro O’Sullivan Assistant Director Ulisses Sanchez Communications Consultant

J Koebel Salvation Army

Pilar Arellano Pantry Coordinator