Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/750495
1 8 | PULSE Fa l l 2 0 1 6 C O M M U N I T Y B E N E F I T E ven though the economy is doing well, hunger is still a major issue for many people. In fact, the South Bay has the highest level of food insecurity in all of LA County, according to a report by the county's Public Health Department. Because so many families are going hungry, Torrance Memorial Medical Center helps fund the FISH food pantry, as part of its Community Benefits program to improve the overall health of the community. e 41-year-old FISH, run by San Pedro's Harbor Interfaith Services, differs from other area food pantries. FISH does not offer weekly food handouts. Instead, FISH is an emergency food pantry, providing enough food to feed a family three meals a day for three days but limiting clients to four visits per year. In 2015, it served more than 11,000 people. Taking its name from the old proverb, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime," FISH follows a similar philosophy for helping its clients become self-sufficient. "It's more than giving food; it's providing the case management services to go along with it," explains Tahia Hayslet, Harbor Interfaith Services' executive director. "Our job is to figure out what brought our clients to us and connect them to resources so they're not depending on us on a daily or weekly basis. We look at their situation and see why it is they can't make ends meet. Is it finding more affordable housing? We have landlords they can work with, funds to help them move or offer security deposits. Is it helping with job skills to find employment to increase income? We can help them get training. Is it about extending the budget? We can help them get CalFresh subsidies. We also hold monthly workshops on subjects such as parenting, nutrition, shopping on a budget and stress management." Claire Coignard, Torrance Memorial's director of health education and Health Links, explains that this unconventional approach of offering case management along with food, made FISH and Harbor Interfaith Services an ideal organization for the hospital to "adopt" through the Community Benefits program. "ey're not giving a handout, they're giving a hand up," says Coignard. "ey're doing so much more than just giving out food and that's why we're supporting them through our Community Benefits program." Torrance Memorial began helping to fund FISH during the recession, when demand for the food pantry services was especially high. Since HANDS UP INSTEAD OF HANDOUTS HARBOR INTERFAITH SERVICES HELPS THE NEEDY HELP THEMSELVES. WRITTEN BY JAMES F. MILLS At top: Harbor Interfaith's Annual Block Party/Adopt a Family event scheduled for December 17 this year. Above: Participants, recipients and Torrance Memorial volunteers.