We lead with our hearts as we build our organization through equitable & valued food labor, community care & nourishment, and authentic relationship tending.
Food Justice Organizer
We look at our food system holistically, operating at the intersection of racial marginalization and homelessness and addressing both of the interwoven crises through food justice. Our work is designed through the lens of community organizing and is deeply rooted in foundations of understanding that food justice is a conduit for BIPOC liberation.
We are the only Los Angeles-based food distribution organization organizing directly with farmworkers. We know that without them, our food system could not exist. We also know that they deserve a livable wage, access to health care and to healthy food. Beyond our monthly food distributions by and for farmworkers, we are committed to state and national advocacy to support their efforts and follow their lead.
Food Systems Innovator
We are constantly analyzing the micro and macro systems that define food access locally and nationally. How do we make the physical movement, from the warehouse to the distribution site, an opportunity for economic empowerment? How do we collaborate with other food recovery and distribution organizations to create efficient food storage systems? What can we do to value food labor, from the farmworker to the cooks? We are constantly asking questions and learning from our community to find answers.
"Polo's Pantry's approach to working in food justice is very similar to the way we teach urban planning. [They] are looking at systems and this is important."
Karen Umemoto, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles Helen and Morgan Chu Chair and Director Asian American Studies Center
Food Distribution Incubator
We help to build food distributions with community groups throughout Southern California, offering operational guidance, connections to resources and skills in relationship building. Each of our partnerships is unique, reflecting both the needs of the food distribution partners as well as the communities that they serve. At Polo’s Pantry, we teach our partners to be adaptive and resilient through the ever-changing food distribution landscape.
