{"id":66200,"date":"2025-07-22T01:00:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T08:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?p=66200"},"modified":"2025-07-22T22:07:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T05:07:07","slug":"op-ed-through-acts-of-solidarity-we-can-support-immigrants-in-the-foodchain-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/07\/22\/op-ed-through-acts-of-solidarity-we-can-support-immigrants-in-the-foodchain-and-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"Op-ed: Through Acts of Solidarity, We Can Support Immigrants in the Food Chain and Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/div>

As a kid, I used to cringe when my mom would pull the car over on the side of the freeway. She\u2019d spot something growing wild in the hills around Los Angeles and jump out of the car, searching for flor de izote, a white flower that\u2019s part of everyday cooking in El Salvador, our home country. When she found some, my mom would take it home and cook it with huevos estrellados con tomate <\/b>(fried eggs with tomatoes) or stir it into a cheese filling for pupusa.<\/p><\/div>

\n

As I grew older, I came to realize that this was my mother\u2019s ingenious way of connecting to home, even as we were putting down roots in a new land. In this way, we built a life here, away from a dangerous civil war in our home country.<\/p>\n

I grew up cooking alongside my family, and I saw firsthand how assimilation was wrecking our health. Not only were we lacking access<\/a> to our customary nutritious foods, but everyone was working hard, too, up to 16 hours a day, which left little time for meals beyond fast food.<\/p>\n

I went away from home for college, and one day, I got a terrible call: My dad had suffered a heart attack. I knew that stress and poor eating habits had finally taken a toll. I decided then to work to change the broken food system that had failed my family.<\/p>\n

As executive director of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council<\/a>, an anti-hunger advocacy organization, I am heartbroken to see the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to destroy this kind of work, uprooting people and food systems along the way. Our food system should nourish people, with dignity, care, and justice. That means everyone. Immigrant families, food workers, and small vendors are not threats; they are essential<\/a> to our communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Immigrants<\/a>

Immigrants comprise two-thirds of Los Angeles\u2019s food service workers, and nearly 80 percent of the industry\u2019s workers are Latino. (Photo credit: LA Food Policy Council)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\n

Empty Markets, Corner Stores, and Farm Fields<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>

Immigrants play a vital role across the entire food system\u2014from agriculture, food processing plants, distribution, and the service industries. They make up the labor force that produces, sells, delivers, and prepares our food.<\/p><\/div>

\n

In Ventura County, a major agricultural area north of Los Angeles, about 60 percent<\/a>\u00a0of the 255,000 agricultural workers are undocumented immigrants, underscoring how vital their labor is to local farming. As a result of the recent immigration raids<\/a> there, the city of Oxnard reported worker absenteeism as high as 70 percent<\/a>, resulting in unharvested strawberry crops and projected losses exceeding $100,000 per week per farm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese days, I find myself trying to explain to my little ones why families like ours are being torn apart. Why innocent, hard-working people are being pulled into vans by masked men without explanation or due process.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The historic L.A. 7th Street produce market, which supplies the region\u2019s restaurants and small grocers with fresh fruits and vegetables, has seen empty stalls and slow business, because workers and buyers aren\u2019t coming.<\/p>\n

Corner stores in South Central LA are quietly losing their regulars, too; people are afraid to shop, work, or even be seen.<\/p>\n

I recently visited a small market in the Pico Union neighborhood, where a vendor I’ve known for years stood behind a table full of produce that would likely go unsold.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo viene nadie,\u201d she said\u2014no one is coming\u2014<\/i>as she described what this major setback would mean for the financial wellbeing of her family business. They\u2019ve since pivoted to offer delivery service for their regular customers.<\/p>\n

In Los Angeles County<\/a>, immigrants make up 66 percent of food service workers, and 79 percent are Latino. Without them, many restaurants, catering businesses, and institutions would struggle to function.<\/p>\n

In neighborhoods where immigrant-run food enterprises thrive\u2014like MacArthur Park, Boyle Heights, and South L.A.\u2014recent ICE raids devastated business: at a central fresh-produce market, daily sales plunged from $2,000 to $300<\/a>, an 85 percent drop in revenue as vendors and customers stayed away in fear.<\/p>\n

Safety Nets Disappearing<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>

All of this is happening while our safety nets are being stripped away. SNAP, called CalFresh here in California, has long been a lifeline for families trying to get by. Last year, nearly 5 million Californians relied on it to put food on the table. The average benefit was just $189 a month<\/a>, while the cost of groceries for a family with children is often over $1,200.<\/p><\/div>

\n
Organizations Supporting LA\u2019s Immigrant Communities<\/div>

We will be updating this list as we receive new information. Many of these sites may be receiving donations.<\/em><\/p>\n

Alley Cat Deliveries<\/a><\/p>\n

Alma’s Closet<\/a><\/p>\n

Aqu\u00ed Para la Comunidad<\/a><\/p>\n

CIELO<\/a><\/p>\n

Clean Carwash Worker Center<\/a><\/p>\n

FeedLA<\/a><\/p>\n

Food Access LA<\/a><\/p>\n

Food Finders<\/a><\/p>\n

Garment Worker Center<\/a><\/p>\n

Ground Game LA<\/a><\/p>\n

IDEPSCA<\/a><\/p>\n

Inclusive Action<\/a><\/p>\n

Innercity Struggle<\/a><\/p>\n

Innovation Law Lab<\/a><\/p>\n

Local Hearts Foundation<\/a><\/p>\n

Operation Healthy Hearts<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00d3RALE<\/a><\/p>\n

Polo\u2019s Pantry<\/a><\/p>\n

Ra\u00edces ConVoz<\/a><\/p>\n

Trust South LA<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This budget was a struggle for many households, even before prices started rising. Now, under the Trump administration\u2019s latest policies, fewer people will qualify for CalFresh, and many immigrants are too afraid to even apply. I\u2019ve heard from families who\u2019ve stopped showing up to the food pantry because they\u2019re worried their names will end up on a list. The people who grow and cook our food are quietly skipping meals so their children can eat.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a painful irony: Immigrant workers who fuel this economy, who bring in billions of dollars through farming, restaurants, and food businesses, are going hungry. But these policies don\u2019t just punish individuals; they also weaken the entire structure of our food system, from labor to access to dignity. When we push people deeper into fear and poverty, we all feel the ripple effects.<\/p>\n

These days, I find myself trying to explain to my little ones why families like ours are being torn apart. Why innocent, hard-working people are being pulled into vans by masked men without explanation or due process. Why people are afraid to shop for groceries. Why they\u2019re afraid to walk to school or go to work.<\/p>\n

In South Central, where my t\u00eda lives, her neighbor, Rosa, works as a cook for a taco street vendor in the Pi\u00f1ata District. A single mother of a 1-year-old boy, she usually brings him to work. Her boss recently told her it\u2019s too risky for her to come in. Rosa\u2019s $110 daily income vanished, but rent didn\u2019t, and her food needs didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The Republicans\u2019 \u201cBig, Beautiful Bill,<\/a>\u201d passed earlier this month by the slimmest of margins, will only make things worse. We\u2019ll see more of Trump\u2019s agents of chaos on our streets, tearing families apart, driving workers into hiding, and dismantling the systems that keep people fed.<\/p>\n

How Citizens Can Help<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>

These systems, built up over decades, are falling apart when they are needed most. The cost of living continues to rise, but under the current administration, programs like SNAP are under threat, along with funding for programs that help keep nutritious food on people\u2019s plates.<\/p><\/div>

\n

In our organization, we\u2019ve pivoted our Farm Fresh LA<\/a> program, and we are quietly working with trusted community groups to deliver locally grown produce to families who are too afraid to show up in public.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a daunting task, sneaking food to people in this powerful country of plenty.<\/p>\n

But we are undeterred. And we are not alone. In fact, there is much that can be done. Citizens can help by buying from farmers\u2019 markets that source locally and equitably; supporting CSAs (community supported agriculture programs) run by worker-led farms; purchasing from local small markets and family-owned restaurants; and choosing produce from farms that treat their workers with dignity.<\/p>\n

These are not just economic choices. These are small acts of solidarity, and they add up.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, we all need to create coalitions and movements with long-lasting impact. In 2017, for example, our organization led a successful campaign to mandate that all farmers\u2019 markets accept EBT (the debit cards for CalFresh benefits). It was a big step toward making fresh, local food more accessible to low-income families, and it\u2019s the kind of work that we need even more of now.<\/p>\n

We need to strengthen networks, too, tying together community-based organizations with deep, trusted relationships in immigrant communities. Trusted organizations have been on the ground every day, providing food delivery, wage recovery support, legal navigation, and culturally rooted care to families who have been abandoned by the system. We must support and connect the work of organizations who offer legal, housing, and food help\u2014including food delivery.<\/p>\n

I now look back on my mother\u2019s search for the flor de izote <\/i>not with embarrassment, but with pride. As a mother myself and a citizen of this country, I recognize the hard work she put in as we built a new life. Immigrant communities in Los Angeles have always made a way out of no way. We root ourselves in the cracks\u2014and we bloom.<\/p>\n

But we shouldn\u2019t have to do it alone, and we shouldn\u2019t have to do it in fear. With care, collaboration, and compassion\u2014even now, against these powerful forces\u2014we can create a food system and a community that helps everyone thrive.<\/p>\n

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As I grew older, I came to realize that this was my mother\u2019s ingenious way of connecting to home, even as we were putting down roots in a new land. In this way, we built a life here, away from a dangerous civil war in our home country. I grew up cooking alongside my family, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1401,"featured_media":66211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4303,485,3259,10],"tags":[],"coauthors":[43632],"class_list":["post-66200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-food-access","category-food-and-farm-labor","category-food-justice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOp-Ed: We Can Support Immigrants Throughout the Food Chain | Civil Eats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Immigrant farmers, food workers, and vendors are a critical part of our food system. 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Here\u2019s how to help\u00a0them here in LA and\u00a0nationwide (Photo credit: LA Food Policy Council)."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2025\/07\/22\/op-ed-through-acts-of-solidarity-we-can-support-immigrants-in-the-foodchain-and-beyond\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Op-ed: Through Acts of Solidarity, We Can Support Immigrants in the Food Chain and Beyond"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/","name":"Civil Eats","description":"Daily News and Commentary About the American Food System","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#organization","name":"Civil Eats","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/logo.png","width":800,"height":455,"caption":"Civil Eats"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Civil-Eats\/56766540637","https:\/\/x.com\/CivilEats","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/civileats\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/161a591e8d3499b1a926f12ddfc541c2","name":"Alba Velasquez","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/10ab28f5972aa5476e57ba58464e53fc","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Alba-Velasquez-2-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Alba-Velasquez-2-150x150.jpg","caption":"Alba Velasquez"},"description":"Alba Velasquez leads the Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) as its executive director. She joined LAFPC in 2017 and has worked to expand the impact of its Healthy Markets LA program. Prior to her work at the Council, Velasquez managed initiatives at the National Health Foundation and contributed to urban agriculture research at UCLA. She holds a master\u2019s degree in urban regional planning from UCLA, and her expertise is grounded in her personal experiences as a Salvadoran refugee and community advocate.","url":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/author\/avelasquez\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66200"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66257,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66200\/revisions\/66257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66200"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=66200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}