NORTH HOLLYWOOD : AIDS Group Plans Satellite Food Bank

As part of a pilot project to help lessen the financial burden on people with AIDS in the San Fernando Valley, AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) will open a satellite food pantry in North Hollywood next week, officials said Wednesday.

The free food bank, operated under APLA’s Necessities of Life Program, will initially serve about 140 low-income people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome or who have symptoms of the HIV virus, said Garry Hensel, program manager.

“The Valley is where a number of our clients are living and there are not many AIDS services in the Valley,” Hensel said. “I’m hoping this works well and will be continuous.”

The Valley branch is the first effort to expand the program, Hensel said.

APLA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the lives of people with the HIV virus or AIDS, serves about 1,200 people with its Hollywood food bank, distributing about 12,000 bags of groceries per month. About 140 of these people make the trek from the Valley, costing them gas money.

The North Hollywood pantry will take orders for food on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Aug. 24. Food will be distributed on Fridays and Saturdays beginning Aug. 27. The pantry is in Apartment A at 6850 Vineland Ave.

To be eligible for participation in the food bank program, an individual must earn less than $700 monthly or a family of four can earn no more than $1,428 monthly. The center will distribute four to eight bags of groceries per week depending on food availability, Hensel said. People interested in registering for the program should call (213) 993-1326; volunteers should call (213) 993-1349.