The Los Angeles Rams, L.A. Care Health Plan and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank teamed up to host a food distribution for families and community members struggling with food insecurity.
Rams wide receiver and Super Bowl LVI Champion Tutu Atwell joined Rams Cheerleaders, Rams front office staff and volunteers from L.A. Care and the Food Bank to distribute shelf stable kits, produce and turkeys to more than 400 families.
Atwell has volunteered at several food distribution events and said, "It feels great to come and give back. It's a blessing that I'm in this position to do what I can to help these people and I enjoy it."
Giving back has always been a priority for Atwell. His foundation, Tutu Atwell Jr. Foundation, Inc., offers events, giveaways and often supports food banks in his hometown of Liberty City, FL.
Taking place at the L.A. Care/Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center in Long Beach, Zulay Carrillo, resource center manager, said, "The goal of the resource centers are to build active, healthy and informed communities."
Mariah Walton, senior community relations specialist for L.A. Care, explained the influence of the center and the event. "We want to make sure our community feels they can come [here] and get the food they need. We're hoping to be able to serve all those that come through our doors."
Take a look through the best photos of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell, cheerleaders, and mascot Rampage putting smiles on families' faces during L.A. Care's food distribution at the Long Beach Community Resource Center.
Explaining the importance of events like this, Micheal Flood, LA Regional Food Bank CEO said, "[We've] been experiencing this increase in demand for food assistance. Doing these types of distributions are really important to fill the gap for people who are struggling with hunger."
Flood also emphasized the significance of partners assisting in the distribution and how providing the food close to Thanksgiving makes a huge difference for families in need.
Walton also stated partnering with the Rams and LA Regional Food Bank "allows two prevalent and recognizable brands to come together to make a huge impact. We're super excited to be able to work together alongside one another to impact the community."
L.A. Care Health Plan, founded in 1997, is the nation's largest publicly operated health plan, serving more than 2.9 million people in Los Angeles County through four health coverage options, including Medi-Cal and L.A. Care Covered. In 2019, L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan announced an investment of $146 million to operate 14 Community Resource Centers across the county. The centers provide a wide range of services to members and non-members, including fitness and nutrition classes, connections to social services and help enrolling in health coverage.
For more information about the Rams' community outreach efforts, visit www.therams.com/community.
