Combating Food Waste in the Film Industry: The Every Day Action Initiative
In an effort to tackle the urgent issue of food waste in the television and film sectors, the nonprofit organization Every Day Action is making strides across Los Angeles. Co-founded by former assistant directors Hillary Cohen and Samantha Luu in 2020, this initiative aims to repurpose surplus food that would otherwise be discarded.
The Mission of Every Day Action
Operating from a warehouse in Historic Filipinotown known as the Food Insecurity Shared Hub (FISH), Every Day Action collaborates with various partners to distribute food efficiently. The organization collects gourmet leftover meals from film sets and delivers them to local charities, feeding those in need, including the unhoused, veterans, and families.
The Daily Operations
On any given day, team members like Samantha Luu and Arun Goswami sort through surplus pastries and artisan bread, ready to distribute them within the community. However, not every production yields left-over food. Recent productions, such as “Nobody Wants This” and “The Lincoln Lawyer”, had no surplus to contribute, prompting Arun to pivot and deliver food supplies from Whole Foods instead.
Addressing Food Insecurity
Every Day Action has made significant impacts with its operations, distributing over 85,000 meals annually. The team travels across a wide swath of the city—from Santa Clarita to San Pedro—ensuring that surplus food reaches those who need it most. The organization partners with charities like Bridge to Home, SELAH, and Alexandria House in its mission to fight food insecurity.
Future Goals and Expanding Capacity
To further their efforts, Every Day Action plans to expand its warehouse capabilities for cold and pallet storage, allowing for extended hours of operation and better food preservation. This initiative is supported by fundraising efforts, including their third annual gala scheduled for May 17, featuring Rachel Bloom as the host.
The Current Landscape of Food Waste in Media Production
Despite a slowdown in film and television productions throughout Los Angeles, the commercial sector remains robust. Cohen notes that even short-term shoots contribute significantly to food waste, emphasizing the importance of their work in this space.
Community Support and Employment
Operating on grants from the Annenberg Foundation and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Every Day Action not only reduces food waste but also helps support struggling film industry workers by employing drivers for their distribution efforts. Cohen elaborates, “We pay production assistants and background artists and really anyone in the business who is struggling, when we can afford to, to be our drivers.”
The Bigger Picture
Cohen is apprehensive about the future of food insecurity as economic conditions worsen, predicting a greater crisis ahead. “It’s going to become a much bigger crisis over the next two years as the cost of food goes up, as job loss continues to increase,” she stresses, making the work of Every Day Action increasingly vital.