LOS ANGELES — Twice a week when the clock strikes one o’clock, several seniors work their way to the courtyard of their South Los Angeles apartment complex.
Eagerly waiting for a box packed with meals from Everytable, Joyce Thompson, who is still recovering from an organ transplant surgery, finds the strength to mingle with her girls.
“We get to gossip a little and giggle and go back to our apartments,” said Thompson. “Where otherwise we wouldn’t have that communication.”
Thompson and her neighbors are part of a city-funded program that serves and delivers fresh meals to the doorsteps of senior citizens throughout the city. Similar to school lunches, these senior meals became a very critical resource for the most vulnerable population during the hardest period of the pandemic.
“I got creamy, fettuccine Alfredo with chicken,” exclaims Thompson as she opened this week’s meals.
For Thompson, the bi-weekly delivery means one less worry for her.
“There are many, many days where I have been too weak to prepare something earlier in the day or before my caretaker comes later in the day,” said Thompson.
South Los Angeles, where Thompson lives, is considered a food desert because of the lack of access to fresh food — resulting in an influx of fast-food restaurants, liquor stores and small convenience stores.
Thompson and nearly 5,200 seniors across the city will live with worry once again. Packed in their meals this week was a letter from the Department of Aging informing seniors that the Everytable meal deliveries and funding will end on Jan. 15.
Los Angeles Department of Aging will continue congregate meal and home-delivered meal programs through their senior centers.
“I’m happy to wake up every morning and come to work,” said Carlos Cabezudo, who has delivered Everytable meals to seniors for two years now.
“It doesn’t feel like a job, to be honest,” said Cabezudo. “I would’ve volunteered for this.”
Cabezudo left a delivery driver job with Amazon for something that he describes was more fulfilling. Cabezudo said that being paid to deliver meals to vulnerable Angelenos is about doing good in the city and playing an important role in helping them out.
“We are providing meals to customers and some of these meals are the only meals that people will have that day,” said Cabezudo. “It’s important to keep it going.”
These are meals that have not only kept seniors like Thompson and her neighbors fed, but ones that have fed a community with love.
“We wouldn’t think that a box of meals once or twice a week would result in all we are talking about,” said Thompson.
If you are in need of meals or information on how you can access the various services provided by the LA Department of Aging, please call (213) 202-5669 or email age.webinfo@lacity.org.