Beginning operation in 1985, AIDS Food Store (AFS) provides food to individuals in Long Beach who have been diagnosed with AIDS/HIV. During the AIDS/HIV crisis, the members of Christ Chapel in East Long Beach noticed that those diagnosed with the disease were unable to get nutrition or food on their own. Thus, the church members rose to the occasion and have been providing food and hygiene services to individuals with AIDS since.
AFS has two programs community members can participate in: AFS’s grocery store pick-up program and the Vance North Necessities of Life program. AFS’s grocery store pickup is available on the 2 and 4 Saturdays of every month, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The only eligibility requirements are photo identification and proof of an HIV diagnosis.
“I think it’s woven into who we are and what we are to be inclusive,” Jean Hartman, president of AFS, said. “And part of our mission is to not turn anyone away as long as they fit our criteria.”
The Vance North Necessities of Life Program is available every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is done with APLA Health (formerly AIDS Project Los Angeles). Eligibility requirements include photo identification, nutrition options, proof of income, proof of residency, proof of HIV diagnosis and a NOLP enrollment form, available in English and Spanish.
At AFS, Hartman and the other employees try to make the experience as pleasant as possible. Part of that is providing options for people to choose from.
“We’ll have a selection of fresh produce and canned goods, and maybe some bakery items, and protein,” Hartman said. “We’re not making the choice for them saying, Okay, this week you get canned beans and tomatoes and pork so you know, our store has a variety.”
Each Saturday, AFS has something special to offer. On the first Saturday, there is coffee, pastries and fruit for the clients to enjoy. On the second Saturday, hot meals are served at the Long Beach Convention Center Saver food center for clients to sit down and enjoy. These small changes to the set-up of the typical food bank, make the experience all the more enjoyable.
“There’s some camaraderie and inclusivity because they get to sit down, they basically break bread together,” Hartman said. “So we try to strip the fact that they’re going to a food bank. We tried to remove that and make it feel more like they’re part of our community. I’m sure friendships and relationships have been made over the years with our including them in that.”
With embracing the community comes the embracing of changes. As the needs of people with HIV/AIDS have evolved AFS has evolved to meet those changes. One of the concerns aside from food that AFS noticed their clients struggle with is hygiene, so in more recent years they have shifted their vision to include hygiene.
AFS has also been working on rebranding itself from AIDS Food Store to AFS to help its clients keep their anonymity. That way the clients’ diagnosis isn’t as blatantly advertised when they say they go to AFS.
Next year, AFS will be celebrating its 40 anniversary of serving the community with many of its board members approaching 7 to 10 years of being a part of the AFS teams. The longevity of its board members is something Hartman is proud of. She feels it is a testament to the organization’s success and the goodness it spreads.
“We provide food and hygiene necessities to anyone with a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS in the greater Long Beach community, and we will continue to do so until there’s no longer any,” Hartman said.
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