Teaming Up to Fight Hunger and Fight On

While the immediate, emergency response to the Palisades and Eaton fires in LA County are over, ongoing disaster relief efforts persist for the greater Los Angeles community. One organization who has increased their typical programming to support the thousands of Angelenos in need is the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (LARFB). 

Throughout February, USC Football student-athletes visited the food bank as part of an NIL engagement with House of Victory, the Official NIL Collective of USC Athletics. Nearly 30 football athletes participated in the events prepping, sorting and packing fresh produce for those in need. 

For LA native and freshman corner Marcelles Williams, it hits especially close to home to be giving back locally in a time of such critical need.

“This city has done a lot for me and being in the position I am today, I think it’s only right to give back and show support to my community,” said Williams.

Throughout the events, the House of Victory athletes were involved in several stages of LARFB’s process, including things like: prepping produce bags and delivering them to other volunteer stations, sorting fresh from spoiled produce and packing produce for distribution. In total, House of Victory athletes contributed 67 hours of service and sorted more than 42,500 pounds of produce including apples, citrus, celery, potatoes and yams.

"Volunteers are critical to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank," said Ana Martinez, Senior Director of Volunteer Services. "Their dedication and compassion amplify our efforts, allowing us to provide vital nourishment to our community, especially during times of crisis."

To support the ongoing local disaster relief efforts, LARFB has increased its food and product acquisition by 60 percent this year compared to the same time frame last year. LARFB has distributed more than 14.2 million pounds of food and product since the fires broke out. The power of volunteers has helped LARFB make this a reality.

“It’s important to give back through events like this because we’re positively impacting so many families by helping make sure they get the food they need,” said freshman defensive end Lorenzo Cowan. “It makes me feel grounded because I know I’m helping a community similar to the one I grew up in.”

This isn’t the first series of events House of Victory has teamed up on with LARFB, and it won’t be the last. House of Victory will continue to support fire relief efforts and continue connecting student-athletes with opportunities to help their local community as recovery efforts continue during this unprecedented time of disaster affecting so many across Los Angeles.

For more information about events like this one, follow House of Victory on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X. If you’d like to make a charitable contribution to support the work of House of Victory student-athletes in the community at events like this, you can make a tax-deductible contribution here.