MI soul - CA heart
We are so excited to announce Torch California is LIVE!!
As of 02/05/21 - Torch CA is officially serving
FREE FRESH groceries to Inglewood and surrounding areas.
As of 02/05/21 - Torch CA is officially serving
FREE FRESH groceries to Inglewood and surrounding areas.
Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
- Vince Lombardi
California Dreamin' may have started with Rhonda, Sarah and Lawrence, but we have built a team that is bringing this vision to life.
The Torch Team LA includes:
- Inglewood Active Communities - The Inglewood Active Communities (IAC) coalition has set a goal to increase opportunities for youth physical activity by 21 percent by the year 2021 by helping address the barriers that keep Inglewood kids and their families from being active.
- Los Angeles County American Heart Association - The AHA wants to ensure that everyone in the greater Los Angeles area has the opportunity to live a longer, healthier life.
- Trader Joes - providing fresh groceries to make healthy meals through the Neighborhood Shares Program, bringing nourishment to our communities as the neighborhood grocery store.
- Food Forward - a Southern California organization on a mission to reduce food waste and increase access to healthy fruits and vegetables through food recovery.
Meet Lawrence Jackson!
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We have to be able to meet the needs of the people. There are just so many more needs with covid. "
Lawrence Jackson 02/03/21
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Why California?
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How we met Lawrence.
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Important things to make note of:
- The California branch of The Torch will have its own funding source, so all donations made to Torch Michigan will stay in Michigan, similarly, all donations made to Torch California will stay in California, unless a donor states otherwise. Additionally, all fundraising efforts for each branch will stay in each respective state, unless otherwise stated.
- Both founders and volunteers from each state agree to work for free. ALL donations will continue to go to help meet the needs of our neighbors.
- Torch LA's daily operations will be overseen on location by Lawrence Jackson, and remotely by Co-Founders Rhonda, Sarah, and the board.
- There is no set date as to when the food truck will officially be serving in CA, as there is a lot of work still to be done. We are in the initial stages of designing the food truck, working on logistics for storage, etc.. COVID is also impacting the launch date, as the entire purpose of the food truck is to build community and promote gathering. Once COVID clears, we plan to ramp up efforts and see how we can better serve Inglewood and surrounding neighborhoods. We will do our best to keep our social media pages up to date with all relevant progress and information - please see below for links to our social media platforms.
- If you have donated to the Torch Michigan branch, feel confident in knowing your donations will stay in Michigan and are not being used to help with the California expansion in any manner.
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The Torch Michigan Information
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Who's in charge?
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Lawrence Jackson's perspective on Torch LA
"California is a state that has among the highest rates of poverty when adjusted for cost of living and has a significant African-American population. Being able to provide access to quality food is key in the fight for food security in California. Inglewood is more than my hometown. Inglewood is the number one city in California in terms of highest number of blacks. Inglewood also sits at the center of LA, providing both access to the greater LA County and surrounding cities with high rates of poverty and food insecurity in LA.
Sarah and Rhonda have long inspired me from the moment I found out they were more passionate about helping others than working for money. Anytime you have someone committed to a greater purpose, and doing so through Christ, after having seen the power of Christ is what it talks about in the Bible. I can only do my part and serve the ladies and help them fulfill their mission.
Torch is what it means to love thy neighbor and to make sure that you do what it is in your heart regardless of the difficulty. Torch is a reminder no situation is permanent and that Christ can work miracles in life and change a life. Being able to have a mobile platform to deliver free food, no questions asked, and made with the utmost love while helping people see that they too can overcome, is amazing. Even the ability to volunteer is tremendous. It can help people give their skills back to those in need who might not be able to meet the need because of material insecurity."
Sarah and Rhonda have long inspired me from the moment I found out they were more passionate about helping others than working for money. Anytime you have someone committed to a greater purpose, and doing so through Christ, after having seen the power of Christ is what it talks about in the Bible. I can only do my part and serve the ladies and help them fulfill their mission.
Torch is what it means to love thy neighbor and to make sure that you do what it is in your heart regardless of the difficulty. Torch is a reminder no situation is permanent and that Christ can work miracles in life and change a life. Being able to have a mobile platform to deliver free food, no questions asked, and made with the utmost love while helping people see that they too can overcome, is amazing. Even the ability to volunteer is tremendous. It can help people give their skills back to those in need who might not be able to meet the need because of material insecurity."
Rhonda's thoughts about the expansion 08/11/2020
"For me, this expansion is like coming home. I grew up in Southern California, about 40 miles northeast of Inglewood. I used to dream about having the opportunity to bring the Torch to California, but it hasn't happened, and I acknowledged it might never be anything more than a dream. And yet, there is God, and there is Lawrence, and God connected our hearts. I have long had tremendous appreciation for Lawrence's compassion for people. It just feels surreal for this to be happening."
Sarah's thoughts about the expansion 08/11/2020
"I don't think that the reality of the expansion has really hit me yet. What I am most excited about right now is Rhonda being able to help her home state. My heart and my home is in Michigan, but a piece of Rhonda's heart has never left California. I am excited to be able to be a small part of the Torch getting to LA. There is something very powerful about serving, but it becomes more personal when it is the ground you literally ran and played on as a kid. The fact that we are partnering with a retired professional football player who grew up in California, lived in Michigan, and is now back in California is just further proof that God has orchestrated the Torch from the beginning and works in ways we can't understand."
Rhonda's thoughts about the expansion 02/04/2021
"The crazy reality of my life is that I am involved so deeply in the logistics of both The Torch and Torch 180, that I don't always realize fully the amazing things that are going on. Then, times like this week hit me, and I stop and don't even know what to think. The reality is we have served over 200,000 free meals - largely throughout COVID - but also, as we consistently took our truck out and about since 2014. We just talked about how all we originally thought about doing was just feeding people in our community. As we have talked to people and continued this journey, the world is becoming a smaller place, and our community really is the world. So now, California. I can hardly believe it is happening, and I have to force myself to sit down and absorb the amazing reality of everything that will be. People in Inglewood will get meals, healthy meals, as The Torch marches on. I have had to realize again and again that the idea of The Torch, of bringing unconditional love and acceptance to people is way bigger than Sarah and I. We are really the vessels being used for a far greater purpose of loving humanity, giving people the dignity and respect they deserve, and providing delicious, healthy meals and groceries as we go. Launching California is so huge, I can barely wrap my brain around it. I have met a true brother and friend whom I love in Lawrence and the hearts of everyone we have talked to at Trader Joe's are so kind and caring, it's been amazing working with them. I feel utterly and completely blessed, and plan to take a lot of time to absorb this awesomeness and praise God for never leaving my side.
Sarah's thoughts about the expansion 02/04/2021
"Surreal. This has been an idea, a dream, Rhonda and I have had for years. It is something we have kept on the backburner, but the pilot light was always lit. When we met Lawrence we had no expectations and we were just happy someone else saw the need and acknowledged food insecurity and access to healthy food was a growing issue. Talking with LJ for the past few years, hearing his stories as a black man, hearing about Inglewood and the surrounding areas, have driven home the fact that not only is there a need, but there is a way we can tangibly help. We are all created equal is nice in sentiment, but it sadly does not ring true. Some of us are afford more opportunities based on things out of our control, like where we live and what school district we are in, etc.. We believe it is our job, as humans, to help level the playing field and to be a conduit for things like access to healthy food and personal hygiene items, and, more importantly, to speak Hope and Love into the lives of all we encounter. There will NEVER be qualifications (pay check stubs, housing information, etc.) to receiving help for The Torch - you qualify because you have a heart beat. I am so excited to be partnering with new people, different organizations, to learn from others, to immerse myself into new communities and see how each neighborhood has its own unique rhythm. Being able to bring healthy meals to people is a joy not many get to experience, but has changed me. We have witnessed people cry over a half a gallon of milk and others tell us all they had were canned goods and are so excited to be receiving vegetables and meat. Speaking with various people from Trader Joe's, hearing their encouragement and hearts for others, it has reinforced that together so much can be done. I cannot wait to meet the people from Trader Joe's and Inglewood Active in person - it is going to be a blast to serve along side of them. I am arguably most excited for Rhonda and Lawrence, as both feel they have two homes - Michigan and California. Being able to serve your home is an indescribable feeling and honor - it's going to be fun watching the two of them enjoy the ride. Torch California is no longer a dream - it is a reality. The reality is, God still uses broken people to help broken people. The reality is, it is GO TIME!"