Nourishing Body and Soul: Westside Food Bank
Tucked in the heart of Santa Monica at 1710 22nd Street, the Westside Food Bank (WSFB) has never been more essential. The visible wealth of West Los Angeles obscures just how precarious life is for working families, students, and seniors. In a region where rent consumes much of one’s paycheck and wages haven’t kept pace with costs, hunger is growing at an alarming rate.
Founded in 1981 by the Westside Ecumenical Council, WSFB was created not simply to fill stomachs but to support dignity, community, and proclaim the basic human right to food.
These days, WSFB runs on an efficient team of fifteen, led by Genevieve Riutort, who worked in the organization for almost two decades before becoming CEO in 2022. One of many accomplishments under Riutort, WSFB increased its supply to an already plentiful array of partner agencies. Sixty pantries, shelters, transitional housing facilities, and child nutrition programs distribute food directly to people in need.
Last year, Westside Food Bank distributed 5.2 million pounds of food, equivalent to 4.3 million meals, to 140,300 people—an increase of about 40,000 people from the previous year. Behind the numbers are real people whose lives are transformed when someone hands them a bag of groceries. Families choosing between food and rent, college students working two jobs while struggling to eat, and seniors managing chronic illnesses that require proper nutrition.
“In the wake of the devastating January 2025 fires in Pacific Palisades, Westside Food Bank has seen a significant rise in food assistance requests across our Westside communities,” Westside Food Bank President and CEO Genevieve Riutort said. “Our agency partners are serving more people than ever, and our free weekly mobile markets are reaching capacity. Community support in the form of volunteerism and monetary donations is what allows us to sustain and expand our work. We are grateful for the help we receive from so many of our neighbors, including Bahala. We remain deeply committed to being here for our neighbors as long as we're needed — because no one in our community should go hungry.”
Westside Food Bank is the primary bulk food supplier for non-profit social service agencies with food assistance programs in Culver City, Inglewood, the LAX area, Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice, West Hollywood, and West Los Angeles. Westside Food Bank sources and acquires food through a combination of donations and food purchases. Donated food comes via a statewide Farm to Family program, community food drives, and local business donations. Purchased food accounts for nearly half of the food we distribute and allows us to increase the nutritional value of donated food, ensuring a consistent supply of a wide variety of foods.
This past June, my friend Kathryn, who’s similarly new to Santa Monica, introduced me to the organization. At the warehouse, we joined a jolly, fast-paced assembly line and filled boxes with delicious, fresh produce. Our teen sons loaded the boxes — heavy with peaches, potatoes, and greens — onto trucks to be distributed to individuals at WSFB’s Virginia Avenue Park and West LA Civic Center free, weekly Mobile Markets.
Now, every Friday afternoon, Kathryn and I, along with several other regulars and a rotating group (which often includes Pali High students), pass extra food donated to the organization directly to the hands of the people who need it.
When people’s material needs are met, there are full, engaged classrooms, a stronger workforce, and more connected life. If we embrace public education, feeding our neighbors with food surpluses is equally a natural extension of public good.
Westside Food Bank’s work isn’t charity; it’s community. Jermaine Butler, Mobile Distribution Specialist, greets us with his amazing energy; the truck he pulls into the parking lot full of pallets of sustenance. Folding tables quickly assembled, a flurry of activity. The line of people snakes longer every week. The air smells like strawberries and gratitude.
This past Friday, fellow volunteers and I transferred giant boxes of eggs into hundreds of half-dozen containers. A woman originally from Italy remarked, “Anyone who loves food as culture and nutrition can be inspired by this work.”
Proving once again that communities with aligned goals strengthen each other and the communities we serve, Senior Development Coordinator Kaitlyn Little joined us for Coffee & Connections this past Friday. Kaitlyn shared that while WSFB is highly efficient — leveraging partnerships, volunteers, and food sourcing expertise — the need is growing. Rising food prices, high housing costs, and increased demand place immense pressure on the system. Fresh produce, eggs, and meat require delicate transport and cold storage, and even with their robust infrastructure, it’s a constant challenge to meet nutritional goals.
Kaitlyn asked the group at Coffee & Connections to volunteer and give money if able. Bahala will plan a field trip to pack boxes in the late winter/early spring.
Kaitlyn urged us all to register for the 35th Annual Hunger 5K Walk this Sunday, November 2. Starting at noon at Ocean View Park, the free event signals the care inherent in our community as a wonderful opportunity to be the change we want to see. Plus, all walkers get free t-shirts and swag bags upon registering!
In Los Angeles, where wealth and hardship coexist, Westside Food Bank stands as a bridge between abundance and scarcity. Every pound of food they distribute isn’t just nourishment — it’s a declaration of care, a vote for equity, and a reminder that we all thrive better as a connected, healthy community.
Here is plenty passed from hand to hand, enough to feed us all.
Jessica Cole