Amazon Studios to Provide Funds for Jon & Vinny’s and Other Local Restaurants to Prepare and Deliver Meals to No Kid Hungry, Off Their Plate, the Los Angeles Mission, and MPTF

CULVER CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 14, 2020– Amazon Studios announced today that it was providing $1 million for the catering team at the award-winning Jon & Vinny’s restaurant group to prepare meals for local charities feeding those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, including No Kid Hungry, Off Their Plate, the Los Angeles Mission and the Motion Picture & Television Fund. As part of the initiative, Jon & Vinny’s will team with other L.A. restaurants including the Culver City restaurant Hatchet Hall, whose kitchen staffs will also work to prepare and deliver food to be distributed.

“This unprecedented crisis has impacted all of us in immeasurable ways, and it’s more important than ever that we all do our part to give back at every level — and particularly to our own community,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “At Amazon Studios and Prime Video, we’re truly honored to be able to show our support to the community that has always supported us, and to team up with Jon and Vinny’s to provide food to those who so desperately need it along with a lifeline to local businesses.”

“We’re super excited to partner with Amazon Studios and Prime Video in their initiative to help small local businesses,” said Jon Shook, Co-Owner of Jon & Vinny’s. “Now with this $1 million contribution, they are continuing to help us during this time as well as give us the opportunity to lend a hand to other independent businesses and restaurants in Los Angeles.”

“The coronavirus pandemic has put a huge financial burden on California families, with lost jobs and wages leaving many struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table,” said No Kid Hungry California Director Kathy Saile. “We’re proud to team up with Amazon Studios and Jon & Vinny’s to help school nutrition teams ease the burden felt by families in the Los Angeles region by providing meals for kids while schools are closed.”

Some of the local farms and business supported by this new initiative include:

• The Garden of…
• Fairhills Apple Farm
• Garcias Family Farm
• Schaner Family Farms
• Pudwell Berry Farm
• Tamai Family Farm
• Wong Farms
• Coleman Family Farms
• Thao Farms
• Peads and Barnett
• Danny Duran, DuraClean
• Premier Meats
• Guidi Marcello
• Gjusta Bakery
• Schwartz Bakery
• Cadoro Bakery

As part of Amazon Studios’ efforts to give back to the community in this time of crisis, the studio has converted its plans for “For Your Consideration” billboards promoting its Emmy contenders to “For Your Community,” promoting COVID-related non-profit organizations. The billboards — which drive awareness for World Health Organization, Feeding America, Save the Children, the American Red Cross, and the World Food Programme — are now live in LA.

“Los Angeles is a company town, and our local businesses are a key part of that. It’s just as important to support our community as it is to support our contenders,” said Debra Birnbaum, Head of Awards, Amazon Studios. “Tapping our resources to lend them support while also raising awareness for worthy causes counts as more than a win for us — and, more importantly, them.”

Amazon Studios previously worked with Jon & Vinny’s on “Dinner and a Movie,” replacing what would have been traditional film premieres with deliveries that included dinner for two, a bottle of wine and other small gifts from local businesses for tastemakers and press, while providing more than 25,000 meals to No Kid Hungry and the Los Angeles Mission.

Amazon is committed to supporting our most vulnerable neighbors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the country, we are leveraging our logistical expertise and delivery network to deliver meals. Amazon is partnering with food banks to donate delivery services of shelf-stable groceries and pre-packaged foods – using our network of drivers, we will serve 6 million meals through the end of June. We will expand these efforts to 25 U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, and international locations to help those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Through local partnerships, Amazon is also helping to donate and deliver tens of thousands of meals to those who can’t safely leave their homes during the pandemic, first responders, and hospitals. To learn more about how Amazon is supporting communities and nonprofit partners across the world, check out our blog.

About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions don’t know where their next meal is coming from. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign by Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty.

About the Los Angeles Mission
For more than 84 years, the Los Angeles Mission has served the people of Skid Row, providing emergency services such as shelter, food, clothing, as well as professional medical and dental services. In addition, the Los Angeles Mission also offers long-term residential rehabilitation programs including education, professional mental health counseling, job training/placement, and transitional housing. Visit www.losangelesmission.org to help make a difference in the lives of others.

Off Their Plate is a grassroots organization that raises funds to deliver nutritious meals to frontline healthcare workers battling COVID-19, while restoring work and providing economic relief to our local restaurants and their teams. Started in Boston in March, Off Their Plate is 100% volunteer run, operates in nine cities and has served more than 100,000 meals to date. OTP’s work creates a conduit for the community to support vulnerable communities in a moment of crisis. Together, we can help take one thing Off Their Plate.

MPTF supports working and retired members of the entertainment community with a safety net of health and social services, including temporary financial assistance, case management, and residential living. From childcare to living and aging well with dignity and purpose, MPTF is there to guide the industry workforce through the enormous obstacles life presents. For nearly 100 years, the extraordinary generosity of the entertainment community has enabled MPTF to deliver charitable services to industry members in need. To learn more, visit mptf.com.