Like most restaurants in LA and beyond, Hot and Cool Cafe off Crenshaw and Leimert Blvd has had a rough year.
After they had to shut down the dining room because of the pandemic early last year, husband and wife team Tina Amin and Anthony Jolly began making free lunches for their elderly neighbors. Ten months later, they’re still at it, and the program has grown.
“Where we are in South LA and Leimert Park, there's not a lot of healthy food options. A lot of people don't have vehicles and … healthy food is less accessible. And so that was one of the reasons that we decided to start the program,” says Amin.
They plan the meals at the beginning of every week, prepare them in the restaurant, package them individually, and hand-deliver them to seniors.
“Food access is an economic issue for our community. And so, we can only hope that doing this little bit will help,” she says.
The Hot and Cool Cafe is still serving free meals three days per week, thanks in part to the more than $7,000 raised by their GoFundMe campaign.