The Expansion of the East Hollywood Certified Farmers' Market to Combat Food Insecurity

Food insecurity and access to basic needs

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

In 2006, Thai CDC led a research team of University of California, Los Angeles students to assess the health risks of the East Hollywood community. Our findings revealed that diabetes and obesity are the two leading diseases in the area. In response to these unsettling conditions, Thai CDC created the East Hollywood Certified Farmers’ Market (EHCFM) in 2012 to increase access to fresh and affordable locally grown produce, combat food insecurity and diet-related diseases, and encourage healthy behavior among low-income and vulnerable community members.

To expand our reach into the community and increase access to fresh locally grown produce in the low-income East Hollywood area, Thai CDC is seeking funding to open another farmers' market in the area. This one will be on the top of the Santa Monica and Vermont Metro station, as part of the Little Tokyo Service Center CDC's mixed-use development that will include affordable housing, commercial/retail space, and a health center. Overall, support from LA2050 will help us advance our mission, increase the accessibility of our services as our community experiences greater financial hardship and food insecurity, and ensure that every community member is fed and nourished.
The third market will also provide public benefits enrollments and WIC and CalFresh (CF) Market Match Programs maximizing the purchasing power of WIC and CF recipients by providing a free match of $10 in Market Match coupons. WIC recipients are also able to match and leverage their $30 Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program checks to a total of $60, doubling their entire stipend. Our onsite CalFresh Enrollment Specialists will serve as liaisons between clients and the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Social Services and provide in-language enrollment assistance for CF, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs and more.

The expansion of our food access programs will combat hunger of East Hollywood residents, the majority of whom are low-income, Limited English Proficient Latinx, Armenian and Thai immigrants. According to the 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the median household income for East Hollywood is as low as $45,004, which is less than Los Angeles County’s median household income. Almost 43% of residents earn an income less than 100 to 138 percent of the poverty threshold. Forty seven percent to 56% of residents who speak a language other than English speak English "less than very well", demonstrating the need for culturally and linguistically competent services. Within the Metro Service Planning Area 4 of Los Angeles County, where East Hollywood is located, 70 percent of adults with diabetes are low-income; almost 80 percent of adults reporting fair/poor health are low-income. Our customers are primarily low-income, undocumented, low-wage Latinx workers, mothers, and seniors.

Every year, we serve over 18,000 low-income consumers and 400 WIC families through our partnership with Hunger Action Los Angeles (HALA). We distribute over $25,000 in CalFresh Market Match coupons annually. Our work not only alleviates financial strain, but directly supports community health and well-being. We see the impact of our work among community members like Richard, a man in his 70’s who suffered from severe malnutrition, who successfully enrolled into CalFresh. Through the support of our CalFresh program and Market Match coupons, he now feels better and walks with a pep in his step. Richard’s story is an example of not only how dire food insecurity is in our community, but how increasing access to fresh, healthy and affordable food improves lives. We want to ensure that every community member is fed, nourished and leading a healthier life.