Serve LA is seeking the renewal of Los Angeles by guiding the marginalized from suffering to flourishing and equipping others to do the same in their own neighborhoods.
We serve LA by providing meals, recovery, and holistic support to the unseen among us in the city.
Cesar’s Story
I came to the Hope Center in 2018. I was an addict. I was homeless and had lost everything and everyone. I remember sleeping under a bridge, feeling exhausted and scared, with no reason to keep living.
It was in this lowest point of my life that I came to the Hope Center looking for food. The minute I entered, I felt accepted—part of the family. That’s what gave me the hope that I was looking for. Without trying, I actually fit in. It’s amazing to see that I’m surrounded by people that believe that I can go further in life.
Now I’m the head chef and get to serve others. By God’s grace, I’ve been clean and sober for three and a half years. I’ve reconciled with my daughter. I have a community that’s like family to me. The Hope Center means so much to me because this is where I got the opportunity for a second life.
Sean’s Story
I hadn’t been in touch with my family for years. I was on the streets, living homeless. I was sick. I was on drugs and alcohol. And knew I was headed toward the grave.
I was introduced to the director of Serve LA and I entered the recovery ministry. They helped me get clean off the drugs and alcohol. It wasn’t easy. But my life transitioned from hopelessness and not having self-value or self-worth to restoration and healing and hope again.
The things that the Lord has restored in my life—relationships with my family, the value of life that I have today—you can’t buy that with money. Today what gives me hope is being able to pour into other people what has been done for me. Through serving a plate of food, recognizing someone by name, having a chat with people out on the streets—I now get to see people’s lives changed in my community.
A Story of Hope
Over 200 people enter homelessness in California daily
200 meals served daily
In 1997, the church Hope International Bible Fellowship began receiving bread from Trader Joe’s and distributing it to the most marginalized people in Hollywood.
By 2010, the 82-year-old church was providing a recovery ministry, collecting donated food from multiple local grocery stores, and distributing over four million dollars of food to the community every year.
In 2018, God led Hope to join the younger Reality Church of Los Angeles and entrust Hope’s properties to them as a way for the ministry to continue its legacy of serving the surrounding community. The Hope church building became known as the Hope Center.
By 2022, Serve LA (a ministry of Reality LA) was operating out of the Hope Center, ensuring it continues to be a place for holistic renewal in the heart of Los Angeles where outcasts are brought in, the wounded are made whole, and the hopeless find hope. The scope of that mission had grown to seeking the renewal of the entire city by guiding the marginalized from suffering to flourishing and equipping others to do the same in their own neighborhoods.
Get Involved
If you’re interested in opportunities to engage with the Hope Center food ministry or contribute financially to Serve LA, you can donate or express your interest here.
