DM12 Los Angeles cohort 3

Welcome to the DM12 Los Angeles COVID 19 Relief program! This initiative is built on our 15 years of disaster relief experience, enabling us to safely restart volunteer operations in 2020. This is an opportunity to be a part of a dedicated team training, working, and living together for 8 weeks to help those in Los Angeles County affected by COVID-19. You will learn more about disaster management, as well as important topics, such as cultural sensitivity, ethical storytelling, and advancing diversity, equality, and inclusivity.

Our top priority is the health, safety, and well-being of our volunteers and staff and the people living in the communities we serve. Therefore, volunteers and staff must be vigilant regarding mask-wearing and complying with our safety measures to ensure we don’t compromise the program and our ability to serve the Los Angeles County community. Please take the time to read our COVID-19 safety measures and Practical Guide for this program. All Hands and Hearts reserves the right to ask anyone who does not adhere to our COVID-19 safety measures, or any other element of our Code of Conduct, to leave the program.

Below you will find all of the information you need to prepare for the program. Please reach out via email to losangelesprogram@allhandsandhearts.org with any questions!

Location: Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, 15 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. We will arrange for you to travel to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), which is 20 minutes by car to our base. If there are no flights available to Burbank Airport, we will arrange for you to fly into Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Transport: We will arrange your flight to Los Angeles and a shuttle to pick you up from the airport.

Cost: Free!

Breaks: Three-day break at the end of Week 4

Stipend: $200/month to help offset cost associated with your required three-day break at the end of Week 4.

Work Days: Tuesday-Friday

Accommodation: Communal style with bunk beds

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included every day. Vegetarian diets can be accommodated.

WiFi: Available via MiFi

Access: Please note that only two essential trips into the community will be permitted per week. It’s a five-minute drive to access ATMs, banks, the post office, Trader Joes, and the laundromat.

Contact: losangelesprogram@allhandsandhearts.org

On March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. On March 13, 2020, a national emergency was declared in the United States. Los Angeles County has experienced a large influx of COVID-19 cases.

As businesses have been forced to close, Angelenos are finding themselves out of work, furloughed, or laid off from their employment. This financial insecurity leads to food insecurity, where people are forced to choose between paying rent or affording groceries. It comes at a crucial moment where food is becoming more challenging to access, with limited supplies in grocery stores and often long waits to enter stores. Businesses with large food surpluses such as restaurants, casinos, hotels, and entertainment centers have been forced to close, and food pantries countywide have struggled to meet the need in Los Angeles. As schools and childcare services are closed, families that relied on the free or reduced school meal programs are facing an even greater need. Before the pandemic, 20% of the population in Los Angeles County faced food insecurity, and it is projected the need will only increase as the months continue.

Testing for COVID-19 is critical. As the city aims to stop the spread of the virus, the Mayor’s Office has spearheaded various free testing sites where patients can receive their results within 48-72 hours. Regardless if the patient has insurance or not, they are guaranteed the opportunity to be tested for free. Tests are done through a drive-through model run by volunteers and staff, as well as with the support of local medical professionals.

As we’ve investigated the idea of leveraging our volunteer model to support other NGOs providing COVID-19 assistance to their communities, Los Angeles County was identified as a region where we could help address critical needs. Insights from NGO partners, with local affiliates in the area, highlighted demands for volunteer services were at an all-time high and local volunteer availability was significantly constrained. Our team has been in Los Angeles since early July 2020, working with new and existing partners to identify how we might be most effective in supporting the local community. As a lack of volunteers to assist with food distribution and back-of-house support for COVID-19 testing have been identified as pivotal needs, we are providing partner organizations, the Los Angeles Food Bank and CORE with volunteer power. By coordinating up to 30 volunteers per week we aim to assemble 50,000 emergency meal kits, distribute 55,000 meals to families in need, orchestrate 20,000 COVID-19 tests, and help support vaccination efforts across select locations in Los Angeles County.

Glendale, California lies on the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley and is approximately 20 minutes away from Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. Glendale has amenities such as banks, ATMs, local restaurants, hospitals, and a few hotels. Within Los Angeles, there’s a wide variety of stores including department stores, Costco, and Walmart for anything you may need to purchase to get you set up for living on base.

The closest ATM is approximately 0.9 miles away from the base at 7/11. There may be a small fee associated with using ATMs to withdraw money. There are multiple banks such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Chase just a 20-minute walk from base.

For information about local COVID-19 regulations, and the preventative measures we are taking to protect volunteers and the community we’re working in, please review our COVID-19 Safety Measures and practical guide for this program

The average temperature from May- July ranges from 50-80° F. Though we are located in Southern California, the temperatures can drop at night and some days might be cool at our work sites. You should anticipate both hot and cool days at all of our sites , we recommend that you check the weather forecast before you join so you can pack accordingly.

Since the start of the pandemic, Los Angeles County has had the highest number of cases than any other county in the United States. Please familiarize yourself with the local department of health’s COVID information, Reopening order plans, and travel regulations. You will also find more detailed information regarding the 10-day quarantine that the county has put into place for anyone that is traveling into LA County.