Inside the Homegirl Café Kitchen at the Homeboy Industries headquarters, volunteers and trainees cooked up scrumptious plates of homemade rotini pasta made of house made pesto, grilled chicken breast, Panella cheese and cherry tomatoes served with fresh green salads and a dessert from Homeboy Bakery. While Los Angeles County residents race to voting centers for the 2020 Elections, Homeboy Industries ensures polling staffs are ready to tackle the day with their favorite homemade dishes.
As the largest gang and incarceration intervention program in the world, Homeboy Industries was excited to partner with Amazon Studios at voting centers across Los Angeles County in providing over 150,000 meals for the surrounding marginalized communities such as East Los Angeles, Compton, and Palmdale. A staggering 800 poll workers at 55 polling centers participated. Handing out homemade foods to our esteemed poll workers and volunteers signifies the importance of amplifying the voices of these communities.
In the wake of the COVID pandemic and the importance of this election year, poll workers and volunteers were overwhelmed with voter turnout while maintaining COVID safety protocols. Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, explains her goals for the day: “We want to support and be there in meaningful and impactful ways for our local communities, who have always supported Amazon Studios and our business. With the help of Homeboy, we’re glad to provide food and some relief for the poll workers. It’s important for us to all come together as a community and support each other this Election Day.”
Voter accessibility evidently affects voter turnout, so devising a solution is necessary for future elections. A 2017 study on voting accessibility and disabilities published in the Social Science Quarterly determined that 30% of disabled voters in the U.S. reported difficulty in voting at a polling place while 8% of nondisabled voters claimed to have difficulty as well. Additionally, Only 57% of eligible voters and 67.5% of registered voters participated in the 2016 general election. Homeboy Industries’ partnership with Amazon Studios in dedication to finding voting solutions by feeding our poll workers exemplifies the necessity for organizations to uplift the vulnerable communities in which they work.
“We wanted to educate our staff about the importance of the right to vote and how the process allows everyone’s voice to be heard,” expressed Marina Henriquez, Manager of Homegirl Café, “What could be better than giving back to all the poll workers who will work in the communities where our staff members were born and raised and where many currently live.” By tackling issues of voter accessibility in its own communities, Homeboy Industries is striving to create environments of love and support with every Angeleno they come across.
