My Nonprofit Reviews

I was originally introduced to MEND by my journalism students who were working on stories about poverty and hunger near our university in the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles. From my students' reporting, I learned that MEND is a mission-driven non-profit, successfully identifying and meeting a wide range of needs for a historically underserved community. I started donating, and when I was asked to serve on the Board, I was honored and delighted. I continue to be amazed at the work MEND does recognizing the complex factors that can keep people in poverty. Its food bank provides healthy meals to thousands of individuals and families every month. Staffers are currently working with families applying for federally funded Section 8 housing, and MEND offers other housing services, employment services, emergency clothing supplies, and nutrition and exercise programs. MEND has also vaccinated thousands of people against COVID in the last two years. For more than 50 years, MEND has excelled at meeting each need with dignity, in a community that continues to face enormous challenges.