Burrito Project at M.A.Center
Excerpts from an article published in the Beach Reporter - by Ellen Robinson
Master roller for Project Burrito, Jennifer Baum, said there is nothing more rewarding than seeing faces light up when she places meals into the hands of grateful people at local shelters.
“I remember the first time I volunteered to deliver the meals. We walked in with the food and they were jumping up and down. I could just see the thankfulness in their eyes,” she said “For some of them, if it weren’t for the burritos, they wouldn’t have anything to eat that day.”
Every Saturday morning Baum joins approximately 25 other volunteers to make 1,000 burritos to feed the needy with Mother’s Kitchen’s Project Burrito in Redondo Beach. They started in January making 50 burritos. Now the organisation is seeking more volunteers to meet the growing demand.
The MA Center LA, where the burrito-making magic happens, is hosting an open house on Sunday, Sept 14, from 1 to 4 pm.
“First of all, we give meals to veterans. They have served us, and some of them don’t have a lot, so it’s important to me to give back to them. Also, it’s great to be able to make food locally and deliver to the local teen runaway shelter in Hermosa Beach. The meals are all eaten that day or the next. So many charities I’ve participated in were about raising money for something, somewhere else, but Project Burrito is a home-grown effort that affects people in our own community, right away,” Baum said.
Program developer Diana Ho said everyone in the community is welcome to volunteer with Project Burrito. The program is one of an array of humanitarian outreach efforts under the M.A.Center’s Amma Volunteers umbrella.
Since Project Burrito is relatively new, Ho hopes the open house on Sunday, Sept 14, will draw more volunteers.
“We’ve had a lot of people express interest and we hope to get more students involved especially the students at both Redondo Union High School and from Mira Costa High School. The Project Burrito would be an excellent way for the hight school students to do their required community service hours.”
She said there is a way for everyone to volunteer no matter what age or skill level. Children are commissioned to help decorate the paper bags that meals are delivered in to the 12 participating shelters.
Burrito meals are delivered each week to Teen Runaway Emergency Shelter, in Hermosa Beach; New Directions to Oasis for Women and Upward Bound Family shelter, Santa Monica Police Activities League, (PAL), Day Break, Safe Haven and Turning Point, all in Santa Monica; Harbor City Community Job Center, Wilmington; Reach for the Top, Venice Beach; the Downtown Women’s Center, in downtown L.A. and Long Beach Union Rescue Mission’s Samaritan House.