By Andrew Ruiz
Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Glenn Anton “Doc” Rivers joined volunteers and TV personality and Pocket Protein co-founder Mark Long at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to pack thousands of healthy food items for families in need Nov. 12.
On the Clippers’ day off, Rivers visited the food bank due to his commitment to bringing attention to the importance that the fight hunger programs include heart healthy protein to give children the nutrients they need to grow strong bodies and minds.
“One of our problems is obesity through hunger,” Rivers said. “When people are hungry, they eat bad food. With this, you can give them good food like the pocket protein and the potatoes and they eat better. It helps everybody so this is really important.”
The Food Bank, established in 1941, distributes 50 million pounds of food annually, with 20 percent of the food being produced to hundreds of thousands of families that go hungry for days.
“It means the world; I just think that’s the only way communities work,” Rivers said. “The citizens in the community have to get involved and make it a better place to live.”
About 40 volunteers, from residents of Los Angeles to the California State University, Los Angeles women’s basketball team, were all in attendance to make an impact for hungry families.
“Our vision is to ensure that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County,” L.A. Food Banks’ Eli Lipmen said. “We do this in and out every single day.”
Lipmen said that a million pounds of food gets distributed every week to 100,000 individuals. To get an idea of how much food that exactly is, picture twice the size of Dodger Stadium getting fed on a weekly basis.
With their partnership with Rivers and Long, Pocket Protein also launched a crowd-funding campaign to help get the power of their latest drink on shelves across the country and in the hands of LA’s children.