Cooking Together with the Long Beach Food Coalition

Free food shouldn't feel like charity. No paperwork, no proof of need, no questions asked — just neighbors cooking for neighbors.

When SNAP benefits were cut for 42 million Americans last November, one Long Beach woman started cooking. What began as a response to a crisis has grown into the Long Beach Food Coalition — preparing and distributing free, home-cooked meals to anyone in Long Beach who needs them. Ingredients come from farmers market surplus and community donations: food that might otherwise go to waste, transformed into something warm and nourishing.

Come share a free lunch, hear the story of how this got started, and then roll up your sleeves. We'l also have cookies provided by Leave No Crumbz, a cottage food business who donated their proceeds to local food banks during the SNAP crisis. For the second half of our time together, we'll cook side by side — preparing meals that go directly to neighbors in need that same evening. No kitchen experience required. Just show up hungry to learn and willing to give a little back.

As the saying goes: if you have more than enough, build a longer table.

Sponsored by the Office of LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn

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Host or Publisher Long Beach Fresh