U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
        Here’s how you know
    Goverment symbol**Official websites use .gov**
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        Lock symbol**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            A lock (
              A locked padlock
                 ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive
              information only on official, secure websites.
 Skip to main content JoinDonate
    About
    About
          About
        
About menu block one
  

        
        What We Do
                Our Impact
                Agency FAQs
About menu block two
  

        
        Our Team
                Careers
About menu block three
  

        
        Agency Overview
                            Budget and Performance Plans
                Disability and Accessibility
                Federal Register Notices
                Open Government
                Plain Writing
                Privacy Policy
                Strategic Plan

  

  
Serve
    Serve
          Serve
        
Serve menu block one
  

        
        AmeriCorps
                            AmeriCorps NCCC
                AmeriCorps State and National
                AmeriCorps VISTA
                AmeriCorps Seniors
                            AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program
                AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP
                AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion Program
Serve menu block two
  

        
        Volunteer
                            9/11 Day
                MLK Day
Serve menu block three
  

        
        Find Your Fit
                Serve FAQs

  

  
Partner
    Partner
          Partner
        
Partner menu block one
  

        
        How it Works
                            AmeriCorps NCCC
                AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent
                AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP
                AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion
                AmeriCorps State and National
                AmeriCorps VISTA
                Research and Evaluation
                Volunteer Generation Fund
Partner menu block two
  

        
        Partnerships
                Communities and Initiatives
                Funding Opportunities
Partner menu block three
  

        
        Partner FAQs

  

  
Members & Volunteers
    Members & Volunteers
          Members & Volunteers
        
Members & Volunteers menu block one
  

        
        Your Benefits
                Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
                Education Award FAQs
Members & Volunteers menu block two
  

        
        Alumni
                Members in VISTA
Members & Volunteers menu block three
  

        
        Member and Volunteer FAQs
                Safety and Security

  

  
Grantees & Sponsors
    Grantees & Sponsors
          Grantees & Sponsors
        
Grantee & Sponsors menu block one
  

        
        State Service Commissions
                State and National Direct Grantees
                State Subgrantees
                VISTA Sponsors
                Research and Evaluation Grantees
                Volunteer Generation Fund and Days of Service Grantees
Grantee & Sponsors menu block two
  

        
        RSVP Grantees
                Foster Grandparent Program Grantees
                Senior Companion Program Grantees
                Senior Demonstration Program Grantees
                NCCC Project Sponsors
Grantee & Sponsors menu block three
  

        
        Manage Your Grant
                Grantee and Sponsor FAQs

  

  
Newsroom
    Newsroom
          Newsroom
        
Newsroom menu block one
  

        
        News
                Blog
Newsroom menu block two
  

        
        Stories
                Events
Newsroom menu block three
  

        
        In the News
                Communication Resources



  
Contact
    Contact
    JoinDonate
search Breadcrumb
    Newsroom

              ICYMI: Second Gentleman Returns Home, Helps AmeriCorps Volunteers Serve at Los Angeles Food Pantry
      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Feb 03, 2022
  

                    **LOS ANGELES** – Mr. Douglas Emhoff, the Second Gentleman of the United States, met with local volunteers in Van Nuys, Calif., to help pack groceries for underserved community members and learn more about volunteering in the local community.

Mr. Emhoff joined a dozen AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP volunteers and AmeriCorps VISTA members as they prepared groceries for older adults, including unhoused and low-income families at Jewish Family Service LA’s SOVA Food Pantry, Van Nuys location, which is a station of the AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP project sponsor L.A. Works.

The Second Gentleman returned to Los Angeles with Vice President Harris, who was in San Bernardino to announce $600 million in federal dollars to restore damage from wildfires that have burned millions of acres in California since 2020. Emhoff spent his afternoon learning from volunteers why they commit their time to serve others.

AmeriCorps annually invests millions of federal dollars in local nonprofit, community, tribal, and state organizations like L.A. Works. In LA County, that equates to nearly $21.5 million in federal funding to support organizations serving in nearly 600 sites.

“L.A. Works depends on partnerships with organizations like AmeriCorps and the Biden-Harris Administration to help us meet critical community needs,” said **Deborah Brutchey, executive director, L.A. Works.** “It makes a difference to have the Second Gentleman promote the importance of volunteerism and share our message that service is an important element in creating more equitable communities.”

Through its programs, L.A. Works mobilizes more than 800 AmeriCorps members and tens of thousands of corporate and community volunteers each year. For the last two years, L.A. Works prioritized opportunities that focused on hunger relief, brought on by the economic and logistical hardships of COVID; the growing educational learning gap; and COVID testing and vaccine support, which was a new need unseen before. L.A. Works has continued to coordinate these and other opportunities for Angelenos to serve across all issue areas, in all neighborhoods of Los Angeles, throughout the year.

“The pandemic has made life harder for our clients and has made our services more necessary than ever for so many people in Los Angeles who are feeling the economic and mental health consequences,” **said Eli Veitzer, president & CEO, Jewish Family Service LA.** “Through it all, many volunteers have found ways to continue their good work and have helped connect people to a community of support and hope when they need it most. The success of our vital work depends on the heartfelt commitments of our family of volunteers, and we are truly grateful for them."

For more than 40 years, Jewish Family Service LA’s SOVA Community Food & Resource Program has been a critical resource for people in Los Angeles who are hungry. SOVA provides free and nutritious groceries, counseling and case management, and connection to community resources. Throughout the pandemic, SOVA rapidly transitioned and expanded its services, providing food to more than 5,800 people each month, bringing groceries to the doors over 1,300 home-bound older and disabled adults each month, and delivering phone and video access to multilingual social workers for benefit enrollment and other critical needs.

Additionally, AmeriCorps research demonstrates that more often than those who don’t volunteer, volunteers talk to neighbors more often, participate in civic organizations, address community issues, attend public meetings, discuss local issues with family and friends, do favors for neighbors, and vote in local elections.

Since the start of the pandemic, AmeriCorps members have assisted more than 12.3 million Americans, including providing support for testing and vaccination efforts, assisting food banks, and helping students stay on track in school.

Images available for use
              **About AmeriCorps**
AmeriCorps, the federal agency for volunteerism and national service, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency invests more than $800 million in grants for local nonprofit, community, tribal, and state organizations; places more than 250,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.

**About L.A. Works**
For over 30 years, L.A. Works has mobilized Angelenos as volunteers to strengthen the fabric of Los Angeles. As the region’s largest and longest running volunteer action center, the nonprofit makes volunteering accessible to bring Angelenos’ time and resources to nonprofits serving a range of needs, from hunger and homelessness to the achievement gap and cultural enrichment. As a unique nonprofit social enterprise, L.A. Works also create service events and programs for corporations. More at www.laworks.com.

**About Jewish Family Service LA**
Created in 1854, Jewish Family Service LA is Los Angeles’s oldest charity. Jewish Family Service LA is a comprehensive network of supportive services for the people of Los Angeles. Each year, our compassionate staff improves the quality of life for tens of thousands of people throughout our city regardless of age, economic status, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We feed LA families, provide LA’s aging population with life changing care, empower and shelter survivors of domestic violence and their children, provide mental health services, and more. More at www.jfsla.org. Back to main content Sign up to hear about our latest news, events, and opportunities.
  Sign up for our newsletter
    Footer about
  

        
        About
                            What We Do
                Our Impact
                Our Team
                Careers
                Agency OverviewFooter serve
  

        
        Serve
                            AmeriCorps
                AmeriCorps Seniors
                Volunteer
                Find Your FitFooter partner
  

        
        Partner
                            How it Works
                Funding OpportunitiesFooter Members & Volunteers
  

        
        Members & Volunteers
                            Your Benefits
                Segal AmeriCorps Education Award
                Alumni
                Safety and SecurityFooter grantees & sponsors
  

        
        Grantees & Sponsors
                            eGrants
                History Checks
                LitmosFooter newsroom
  

        
        Newsroom
                            News
                Blog
                Stories
                Events
                In the News
                Communication Resources
      Bringing Americans together to serve communities

Follow us
  
  1-800-942-2677
            
    help@americorps.gov
    USA.gov / Office of Inspector General / FOIA and Privacy Act / Federal Register notices / No FEAR Act/ Employee Whistleblower Rights / Contractor and Grantee Whistleblower Rights / Office of Special Counsel / STOCK Act / Fraud Alert

Accessibility / Privacy policy / Site map / Donate / Join

**AmeriCorps.gov**
An official website of AmeriCorps. Produced and published at taxpayer expense. 
 You are leaving AmeriCorps.gov
 The website you’re going to is not part of the AmeriCorps domain and may not be under AmeriCorps’ control. Its privacy and security practices and policies may differ from AmeriCorps’. AmeriCorps is not responsible for the link, nor does it endorse the content of the third-party website. Click on the continue button to proceed to the external website; otherwise click cancel to stay on AmeriCorps.gov.
 Cancel Continue