Ideapedia

• Burritos Handout

Food-Share Program:

Known as Burrito Project LA, they help feed vegan meals to the homeless population in the city of Los Angeles.

Initiated By:

A group of punk kids, with DIY attitude, who simply wanted to do good for the community in their spare time. Not every community has a food-share program like the Burrito Project.

Originated Since:

10 years ago. The punk owners of a now-defunct vegan bar, Pure Luck - credited for introducing jackfruit as carnitas (aka. pulled pork) in vegan tacos - started to get together with friends after work, riding bikes around to give away restaurant's food leftovers in burrito form to transient community.

Choice of (Vegan) Burrito:

• It's a warm meal; as some people don't have the option to eat hot food.
• It doesn't require any utensils; convenient for people who only use hands.
• Burritos are not simply a native staple of Southern California but also a local favorite!
• Help the homeless eat healthier and stick to their lifestyle choices, especially for those wanting to practice a vegan diet but have limited access to government aid due to inaccessibility, feeding-bans, and food banks providing non-vegan-specific food.

Ingredients:

• Mix of beans: Pinto, white and lentil varieties 
• Red and green bell peppers
• Potatoes; sweet potatoes
• Kale; spinach; bok choy; parsley; lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Onions
• Carrots; zucchini
• A green leafy salad mix; avocados; guacamole; lime
• Rice

Assembly Line:
From taking place at the leader's backyard to a friend's kitchen to cook; burrito assembly has jumped from home kitchens to larger, commercial kitchens such as First Christian Church where the group pays $50 a month to use its basement kitchen.

Donation:
Ingredients for the 500 burritos would cost about $250 a week if the nonprofit group had to pay for it all. They are exclusively sourced from donations by several local businesses and organisations:

• Cash from strangers
• Ingredients from a friend who works at a nearby supermarket and provides her with fillings that are still good but must be thrown out, due to it not being fit for sale
• Vegetables donated from Lane County residents who grow vegetables from their gardens 
• A case of avocados from a random someone
• Cases of just-expired tortillas from Trader Joe's that volunteers check for mold
• Reusable water bottles from Value Village, Springfield
• Boxed water donated from Boxed Water Is Better

Distribution:
The group looks at a printed, laminated city map to pinpoint the largest homeless encampments in the city. Once the group identifies the drop-off locations throughout the city, the group breaks up into four smaller ones and start to disperse the burritos, asking one question "Would you like a burrito?"

Fundraising:
Title:
Burrito Project LA Fundraiser: Vegan Bake Sale & Clean South

Partnership:
Clean South; hand crafted vegan comfort food and made-from-scratch delicious seitan and cheese products

Monetary:
Cash (event); PayPal (un-attend)

Non Monetary:
Spread the word and invite friends

Sponsors:
Louisville Vegan Jerky Company, the only hand-bagged vegan jerky made in the USA
Bead & Reel, the eco-friendly, cruelty-free, sweatshop-free fashion for the conscientious women

Baked Good Donors:
Cup My Cakez, a selection of made-from-scratch 100% vegan and gluten-free treats
Viva Los Cupcakes, an award-winning specialty cupcake inspired from mexican heritage
Vegan Chica, a variety of baked goods that are vegan, organic, and appealing to non-vegans alike
Rising Hearts Bakery, a dedicated gluten-free, diary-free and egg-free bakery with vegan specialties
Vegan Sugar and Spice, two mid-20s ladies that share a passion for all things vegan
Nicole Michele Ralston Vegan Health and Wellness, health & beauty products that are 100% vegan,
Raven + Crow Studio, a design studio who enjoys partnering with non-profits who are actively making the world a better place such as in the environmental realm, vegan-based businesses etc

& complimentary Beanfields Snacks (certified non-GMO, vegan and allergy friendly snacks) for all attendees, vegan or not!

Use of Funds:
Purchase ingredients e.g. rice, beans, guacamole, tortillas, water, and other integral items which helps feed the folks living on streets of Los Angeles.

Similar Organisations:

Food Not Bombs, another global food share movement, has also been helping communities spread vegetarian for over 30 years. FNB is an all-volunteer organization, whose mission is to feed hungry people alongside protesting war and poverty. They recover food that would otherwise be thrown out and makes fresh hot vegan and vegetarian meals in public spaces to anyone hungry and serve free meals at protests and other events e.g. disasters to survivors and rescue workers.