Church to host food and face mask giveaway today

A Compton church will host a drive-up food box and mask giveaway for city residents today.

The food drive, at Victory Outreach Compton, will begin at 12:30 p.m. and last until supplies run out.

Previous food drives in the city, said community volunteer Denise Winn, have served around 200 to 500 vehicles. That number, Winn said, has died down since the winter months but the need for aid amid the coronavirus pandemic remains.

“Our last food drive (at Tucker Park) gave away boxes to about 210 cars,” Winn said. “But many families shared the same vehicle so the number of supplies given out was much higher.”

Winn, a Newport Beach resident, has partnered with many local organizations throughout the coronavirus pandemic to organize food drives in the city. Winn, whose city of Orange business WINN Expo Solutions handles shipping for trade shows, used connections in China to purchase a shipment of 10,000 N95 masks early in the pandemic.

Nonperishable meats, organic milk, produce and KN-95 face masks will be among the items included in each familysized box of supplies. Victory Outreach Compton, a Christian ministry that has also hosted numerous food drives throughout the pandemic, partnered with other local and regional grassroots organizations to gather supplies.

Those organizations include the Hollywood Food Coalition, Foodcycle LA, Pico Union Project, Imperfect Foods, the Esperanza Health and Wellness Center and Grocery Outlet Bargain Market.

Any excess produce, Winn said, will be donated to Compton Cowboys’ farm for their community and animals.