Recognizing Urban Partners Los Angeles

Floor Speech

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Mr. GOMEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Urban Partners Los Angeles (UPLA), a nonprofit in the Koreatown/Westlake neighborhoods dedicated to providing food and educational resources to underserved and underprivileged communities in the city.

Since the organization's founding in 1995, Urban Partners' free programs and services--everything from educational courses and tutoring to food distributions and assistance--have filled critical gaps and addressed the needs of Angelinos throughout Los Angeles. UPLA has since become a critical lifeline to the community.

This could not ring truer than during the COVID-19 pandemic, where UPLA's staff and volunteers were on the frontlines, distributing over 9,000 bags of groceries to more than 4,500 families during the onset of the crisis. Even now, volunteers tirelessly work to distribute over 50,000 pounds of food to 1,000 families, ensuring no one leaves empty handed.

It is also because of those at the helm of UPLA, like Executive Director and Board President Rochelle McAdam and volunteer Executive Director and Board Member Trinity Tran, and their dedication of heart and hand to the community that food-insecure individuals and families in Los Angeles are not left behind and do not go hungry.

We are truly grateful to UPLA's board members, staff, and volunteers for their fierce advocacy of those the organization serves, their empowering work of community building, and the love of community they continue to show week after week.

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