APLA Health Celebrates 35 Years of the Vance North Necessities of Life Program and Passes 17 Million Meals Distributed to Low-Income Clients Living with HIV/AIDS!

Los Angeles, CA, Nov. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — November 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of one of APLA Health’s most critically needed services—our Vance North Necessities of Life Program (NOLP) food pantries. NOLP’s origins began as a food pantry started by Ken and Alfia Hollywood, who ran a $35-a-week food voucher program out of their movie memorabilia store. In 1986, APLA Health worked with the Hollywoods to open the first Necessities of Life Program food pantry.

In 2011, philanthropist Bob North and his wife, Lois, donated $3.5 million to the program, in memory of their son, APLA Health client and supporter Vance North, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1995.

Today, NOLP is the country’s largest food pantry network for people living with HIV/AIDS and has distributed over 17 million free meals to people living with HIV/AIDS who live at or below the poverty line at ten locations throughout Los Angeles County—from Long Beach to Lancaster.

In 2020, The Los Angeles County Division of HIV & STD Programs provided funding for the expansion of the program to provide 100 percent of a person’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles County and increase the ability for more people to join the program. 

Each week, NOLP clients receive fresh dairy, frozen meats, fresh produce, and an assortment of canned and dry goods that provide 21 meals a week plus snacks, as well as hygiene items and cleaning supplies. NOLP clients also receive bilingual, one-on-one nutritional counseling and nutrition classes.

“We are 40 years into the AIDS epidemic and have been running NOLP for 35 years, and though we’ve made amazing strides in that time, there remains a critical need for our food pantries,” said Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health. “In these times of significant inflation, providing the equivalent of three meals a day, seven days a week, we are able to help clients stabilize their living expenses and reduce overall food insecurity.”

NOLP VIDEO FOOTAGE:

An annual NOLP tradition, all clients recently received their choice of a Turkey or Ham with all the fixings to complete a traditional Thanksgiving meal: https://youtu.be/jU6V9PojsUo

NOLP Client, Mark Gordon, talks about his personal experience with the NOLP program:  https://youtu.be/tJCzZ6HzB2s

More information about APLA Health’s NOLP program can be found here: https://aplahealth.org/services/nolp-food-pantries-nutrition/

ABOUT APLA HEALTH: APLA Health’s mission is to achieve healthcare equity and promote well-being for the LGBTQ+ and other underserved communities and people living with and affected by HIV. We remain committed to ending the AIDS epidemic in our lifetime. We are a nonprofit, federally qualified health center serving more than 18,000 people annually. We provide 20 different services at 16 locations throughout Los Angeles County, including: medical, dental, behavioral health and HIV specialty care; PrEP counseling and management; health education and HIV prevention; and STD screening and treatment. For people living with HIV, we offer housing support; benefits counseling; home healthcare; and the Vance North Necessities of Life Program food pantries; among several other critically needed services. Additionally, we are leaders in advocating for policy and legislation that positively impacts the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities and conduct community-based research on issues affecting the communities we serve. Its signature fundraising event, AIDS Walk Los Angeles, has drawn hundreds of thousands of supporters to walk, and millions more to donate, raising more than $91 million to combat HIV and AIDS since 1985. For more information on APLA Health visit https://aplahealth.org.

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