Holiday events providing food and toys at five Los Angeles Metropolitan YMCA locations have been sponsored again this year by Optimum Seismic, Inc.

Area businesses are being urged to donate to support the Los Angeles Metropolitan YMCA’s food distribution programs, which target hunger faced by many in Southern California.

Rising food costs, job cutbacks, reduced work schedules, and other pressures, are making food insecurity a constant problem for more than 800,000 Los Angeles County households — nearly a quarter of the households in Los Angeles County.

Some 24% of households felt food insecurity over the 12 months ending July 2022, up from 17% in 2021, according to a new study released by Public Exchange at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and funded by the National Science Foundation.

“Any notion that we’re largely ‘out of the woods’ with regard to the problem of hunger in Los Angeles is sadly off base,” said lead researcher Kayla de la Haye, associate professor of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “Some of the Angelenos most impacted are Latinos, young adults and families with kids.”

“Financial donations for food are critical during the holiday season,” according to Ali Sahabi, co-founder of Optimum Seismic, Inc., a member of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Metropolitan YMCA. “While Optimum Seismic is just one company, we contributed $25,000 again this year to assist. It’s very important for businesses large and small to help provide food for the hungry in the Los Angeles area.”

YMCA-LA, which has long stood as a beacon of hope in the community, needs help during the holiday season to continue serving many thousands of meals each week.

Donations, which will help less fortunate families put food on their tables, may be made to the YMCA-LA online at http://events.ymcala.org/goto/optimumseismic.

During the holiday season, the Optimum Seismic team sponsored a Thanksgiving celebration and a Christmas event for the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA.  Additional Christmas programs were held in December at Crenshaw YMCA, Southeast Rio Vista YMCA in Maywood and Mid Valley YMCA.

OPTIMUM SEISMIC SUPPORTS YMCA-LA

Optimum Seismic Co-Founder Ali Sahabi is urging businesses to support YMCA-LA’s program to feed the hungry in Los Angeles County again this year. Optimum Seismic has sponsored five events at various YMCA locations this holiday season.

YMCA-LA VOLUNTEERS

Optimum Seismic Marketing Assistant Andrea Aguilar (r) works with other YMCA-LA volunteers to distribute toys at the Southeast Rio Vista YMCA in Maywood. Optimum Seismic donations helped to sponsor five YMCA-LA holiday events.

CHRISTMAS TOYS

The Southeast Rio Vistas YMCA in Maywood distributed toys to hundreds of local children on December 17. The popular YMCA event makes the holiday season brighter for local families.