For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Justin Burke - 213.201.1525

EMAIL:jburke@apla.org

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR AIDS PROJECT LOS ANGELES
NECESSITIES OF LIFE PROGRAM FOOD PANTRIES

LOS ANGELES – Nov. 4, 2001 – Experience the rewards of volunteering for an important cause and helping others in need. AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) is looking for volunteers to help with food drives in local supermarkets including Ralph’s, Vons and Albertson’s. Volunteers will distribute flyers and collect donations from grocery shoppers from noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The food will be distributed to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS through the APLA Necessities of Life Program food pantries. To volunteer, please call 818-752-2089.

“We rely on the generosity of volunteers to help make the Necessities of Life Program food pantries the best they can be. It is truly a community effort," said Tonya Hendricks, APLA NOLP manager. “These food drives make it possible to provide a wide range of basic necessities like hygiene items and food for people living with HIV/AIDS.”

The first APLA Necessities of Life Program food bank opened in 1986 and was the nation’s first HIV/AIDS-specific food pantry and is today, the largest of its kind in the United States. APLA provides food through the Necessities of Life Program at five sites throughout Los Angeles County – North Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, South Los Angeles and Long Beach.

AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), which this year marks 20 years of prevention, advocacy and service, provides direct services to more than 10,000 men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles County. Services include prevention education, food banks, professional dental care, housing assistance, mental health counseling and case management. APLA is a leader in the provision of bilingual HIV treatment information, in print and on the Internet, and advocates for effective AIDS-related policies and legislation on the local, state and federal level. For more information, please visit www.apla.org.

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