Federal budget cuts leave some LA meal service organizations in limbo

Federal budget cuts from President Trump's Big Beautiful Bill are leaving some service organizations in limbo. 

One of the Los Angeles groups scrambling to make up for the massive loss in funding is Project Angel Food, whose staff hand-delivers 1.5 million meals a year.

"Project Angel Food brings out the best in Los Angeles," executive director Richard Ayoub said. "We have been feeding that population for 36 years, and there is no way we're going to turn our back on them."

The group started during the height of the AIDS epidemic and expanded to include the chronically ill. Project Angel Food took a massive hit after the federal government slashed HIV/AIDS programs, gutting their funding by 30%.

"It amounts to $340,000 that's being cut," Ayoub said. "One of my donors called me and said, 'Can you scale back services?' The answer is no. These people need us."

The budget cuts also threaten to push more than 22 million people off SNAP benefits. Rep. Jimmy Gomez said the move could force more people to rely on food banks and stretch services thin, such as St. Vincent's Meals on Wheels. 

"We see people who are in food pantry lines every single day, and my fear is that that's just going to get worse," Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) said. "We're going to try our best as a community to lift everybody up and make sure they get what they need."