[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 198 (Friday, November 20, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING URBAN PARTNERS LOS ANGELES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIMMY GOMEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 20, 2020

  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.