Cookouts & Camaraderie Inc.

How LA Restaurants Are Feeding Locals With Free Weekly Street Cookouts | Eater LA

"I’ve seen Heleo Leyva run the weekly free East Hollywood cookouts by first collecting donations so he can buy asada and chicken from the carniceria next door, then setting up the grill with volunteers; about 125 no-cost plates routinely fly out in 30 minutes, which shows how tremendous the need — and the support — is. Across more than a dozen events Leyva has guided locals and volunteer chefs to feed a growing line of unhoused residents and many elderly neighbors on the sidewalk with no questions asked, offering hot grilled dishes and direct community support; the effort has distributed over $25,000 in free food, is decentralizing into other neighborhoods (including a second cookout in MacArthur Park and plans for Downey, East LA, Whittier and Fresno), and posts volunteer and donation info on Instagram." - Farley Elliott