LA Dream Center providing meals for families in need during coronavirus pandemic

LOS ANGELES - Car after car pulled up in the LA Dream Center parking lot Tuesday to receive meals during the coronavirus shutdown.
 
“We’re trying to stay positive and for the kids as well so they can be happy and go out a little bit... now we go home,” said Yvette Mejia. 
 
The church started the drive-thru service Monday to feed people impacted by the crisis.
 
“I realize there is a crisis of fear going on and also at the same time a crisis of food,” said Dream Center pastor Matthew Barnett. 
 
Volunteers are working 11 hours a day handing out meals to those in need like Sarah Chevez and her family. 
 
“It’s been really hard to find food in the stores," said Chevez. "I’m disabled — I just got out of ICU a week ago so anything helps."
 
"We’re just relying on compassion and miracles to feed as many people as we can,” said pastor Barnett. 
 
And those miracles are showing up. Pinks is giving 500 hotdogs a day and Chick-fil-A has donated 15-hundred chicken sandwiches. Food is also coming in unexpected ways. 
 
“It just felt like I needed to do something positive to support the community,” said Travis LaSalle. 
 
LaSalle is a film director who is now out of work. He realized restaurants were closing and didn’t want the food to spoil so he had an idea. 

“I decided to start calling local restaurants working with friends that work in restaurants to find out where we might be able to get that food and where we might be able to bring it and fortunately the Dream Center here has a fully operational kitchen and is taking whatever food we can bring,” LaSalle said. 
 
The Dream Center expects to feed at least four thousand people in the coming days, including one young family who was homeless before the church took them in.
 
“They opened their doors to people like us that really need it," said Mario Garcia. "It’s a great place and I’m really grateful for them.” 
 
Gratitude for a hot meal, a smile and an unlikely hero all coming together in a time of need.

The Dream Center said it will continue providing meals from 7:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. daily as long as it is needed. Right now, they are relying solely on donations. If you could like to help, you can head down to their facility at 2301 Bellevue Ave. or online at dreamcenter.org.