A report recently mentioned that around 200 cooks in Los Angeles have returned to work, introducing a California project to utilize "federal disaster relief money" that is paying restaurants for the delivery of thousands of nutritious meals for seniors who are at risk.

Called "Treat Plates Delivered," the project is part of California's initiative to alleviate the suffering caused by the COVID-19 crisis that has left a trail of hunger, unemployment, and worst, death in its wake.

The Project, Helping not Just Seniors

57-year-old Alba Molina is one of the workers called for duty as a cold food preparation cook at Westin Bonaventure hotel. Molina, who considers what she does as not just any job, said, "Is helping me pay my bills."

She added that it is also "a job with benefits." Molina, as well as her fellow food prep staff from other hotels and restaurants, are packing meals for almost 4,700 elderly individuals in the greater area of Los Angeles.

This undertaking, with this undertaking, Molina said, "I feel honored" that she and her colleagues can provide the elderly with such a service. 

Meanwhile in Bonaventure Hotel,  a recent report mentioned seing workers busily filling trays with baked salmon, roast turkey, wild rice pilaf, steamed broccoli, vegetables, salad, and fruit. 

The renowned news agency reported, the said workers then "packed the meals in boxes with labels and handed them" to taxi drivers who were waiting. The taxi drivers were commissioned to make deliveries twice every week.

52-year-old Fredy Gomez, who had no work for one month, filled the seats and trunk of his taxi with the boxes of meals. 

Wearing a black face cover and a pair of surgical gloves, Gomez drove the food to "a cluster of small single-family houses," where he had the meals delivered to senior residents.

Funding for the Project

It was late last month when California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the project along with the specified objectives of providing service to residents susceptible to COVID-19. It also aimed to boost jobs "from farm to kitchen," and generate much-needed tax returns for CA cities according to another report.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA funds 75% of the budget for this program that was originally launched in Los Angeles. They are geared to serving entitled seniors in the entire Los Angeles County.

This initiative is led by the Hospitality Training Academy or HTA and Unite Here, a hotel and restaurant union based on a report. Others who are participating in the project include Beverly Hilton, University of Southern California, and Levy Restaurants of the Compass Group which serves the Dodger Stadium and the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Adine Forman, the HTA executive director said, in the region by far, "have the largest kitchen" in the region so far, they "Have the largest kitchens" that they can spread people out. More so, Adine added they can guarantee too, that everybody is getting the temperatures taken.

Many government assistance projects have been under fire for supporting large instead of small businesses,In the "Treat Plates Delivered" project's case, the employees with full healthcare coverage, Unite Here Local 11 co-president Susan Minato said, "Are the biggest beneficiaries."

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