![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ckxWoioG8sPAsS4yRCyiJrj7lRlud8BUc9CIkpLl-600x400.jpg\")
The Offbeat bar in Highland Park\u2019s mural on its back wall in Los Angeles, Calif. (Sara Wolf)<\/p>\nJust off of Figueroa Street in Highland Park sits The Offbeat. On any night from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., music will be playing and drinks will be pouring. But on weekend mornings, it\u2019s a different story. The bar transforms into one community member\u2019s solution to people\u2019s hunger.<\/p>\n
The Offbeat bar in Highland Park\u2019s mural on its back wall in Los Angeles, Calif. (Sara Wolf)<\/p>\n
Vanny Arias is not only the owner of The Offbeat, but also a community activist. Last year, she saw a need within her community and decided to combine her two worlds. It was then that she created Northeast Los Angeles (NELA) Food Distribution, which she runs out of her bar.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re out here for one purpose and that\u2019s to help people, to help our community,\u201d Arias said.<\/p>\n
Every week, dozens of volunteers prepare food packages and deliver them to almost 500 people across 12 different zip codes. Each household receives a mix of canned goods, fresh produce and bread, when available. Each week\u2019s delivery will vary depending on the food available, but Arias always finds a way to ensure that nobody goes hungry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you take that food to people\u2019s doorsteps, their face, like, we\u2019re the light in their darkness right now,\u201d Arias said. \u201cThey hold on to hope with us, and that\u2019s how we wanna continue showing up.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s estimated that one out of four<\/a> residents of Los Angeles County experiences food insecurity. This problem is compounded by recent gentrification<\/a> in Northeast LA.<\/p>\n Maude Reyes, a CSUN student, said the problems her community faces inspire her to get involved.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have over the years been affected by a lot of gentrification and displacement in the community,\u201d Reyes said. \u201cNot only displacement from gentrification, but displacement with the current political climate and the removal of some community members. I personally think that not being able to feed your family, that\u2019s violence, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Arias and Reyes agree that they want to help their community in any way that they can. It is this drive that inspires them to get out of bed on weekend mornings and prepare groceries for affected families.<\/p>\n Originally, Arias began by just feeding a few families once she realized she wanted to do something. She brought cardboard signs to the streets and flagged down cars, seeking food donations for a few families she knew. Ultimately, this only grew, leading her to supply hundreds of community members with what they need to survive. She continues to use word-of-mouth and social media in search of more people who may need help.<\/p>\n But as Arias looks for more people to assist, she also seeks more assistance herself.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, our cupboards are bare,\u201d Arias said.<\/p>\n In fact, during the last few weeks of April, Arias had to pay out of pocket for as much as 50% of the food.<\/p>\n Once a month, NELA receives a delivery of 75 bags of food from District 1, which are immediately sorted and then delivered to families by volunteers that same day. In the last week of April, Arias was awaiting her typical delivery when she received word that there was an error with it, leading her and Reyes to rush to pick up the bags from Downtown. The hundreds of bags were still sorted back at The Offbeat and delivered by 3 p.m. that day.<\/p>\n For the other three deliveries across the month, however, Arias has to find other ways to gather resources. She finds success calling on other community members for help, but is surprised that District 14, which serves Highland Park, has not helped her yet. She said she has reached out multiple times in the last year, but that it \u201cfalls on deaf ears.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe hope that they find it in their hearts and try to help us because we are here actively working,\u201d Arias said. \u201cWe are grassroots. I spent my own tax money, and I\u2019m putting it into feeding people.\u201d<\/p>\n Arias believes it shouldn\u2019t be difficult for the district to find the money within its system, and she is skeptical as to why they have not helped her more.<\/p>\n Reyes spoke to the matter, saying, \u201cYou can\u2019t make people care, but I think the world would be a whole lot better if people did care about one another.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the people who do show up each week, all agree that it\u2019s a mutually beneficial experience.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just neighbors helping neighbors,\u201d said Reyes. \u201cWhen you\u2019re a part of something like this, it makes you feel loved and supported. I wish everyone could experience this, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n Two other volunteers, Emma McMahan and Freddie Campbell, encouraged others to get involved and speak about how valuable it has been for them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t really go wrong with it,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with feeding people, ever.\u201d<\/p>\n McMahan added that she noticed \u201ca lot of scary stuff going on,\u201d which led her to look for a way to get involved in her community.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to transform that anxious energy,\u201d McMahan said. \u201cIf it stays in a ball in your chest, it\u2019s just going to rot. It has to go somewhere, or it\u2019s gonna poison you.\u201d<\/p>\n Arias wants to assure people, especially younger folk, that there are easy ways to dip a toe in the water of volunteering. She said it doesn\u2019t take a special education or lots of money \u2013 all it takes is a want to help.<\/p>\n \u201cJust get up and find your closest place that helps the community around you and just do it,\u201d Arias said. \u201cIt\u2019s so gratifying, it\u2019s so nice. You meet amazing people from all walks of life.\u201d<\/p>\n Those wanting to get involved with Arias\u2019 mission can visit her social media<\/a>, where they can donate<\/a>, volunteer<\/a> or even just help to share her mission.<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/B4rdiUalh8BlWePpNIVKX5bmhw0ek8D96TzRhN1y-600x400.jpg\")
A volunteer places a hand-packed produce bag on a tarp to be gathered with other food products and delivered to families across Los Angeles, Calif. (Sara Wolf)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FKQUoK9zebrAMfTiiaxH26HArVWr0Eat5WyQGrqo-600x400.jpg\")
Vanny Arias loads her truck with food donated to her charity, NELA, from District 1 in Los Angeles, Calif. (Sara Wolf)<\/p>\n