Slingshot Aerospace and Non Profit 211 LA County Team on FoodFinder Resource App

Slingshot Aerospace and the non profit 211 LA County unveiled an online mapping tool that allows users to identify and locate more than 2,000 food resources within the county during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The customized tool, called 211 LA FoodFinder, is powered by Slingshot Earth and is the biggest and only food map that allows LA residents to search for resources by location and view services specific to seniors, children and others, enabling individuals to find aid near them faster.

Resources within the FoodFinder are free, with the exception of those with suggested donations or delivery service fees.

“This work to help 211 LA County provide critical food service information in our community is so meaningful to us because we are driven by a vision to create a safer, more sustainable world,” said Mel Stricklan, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Slingshot Aerospace. “Our business was founded on the idea that information is power, especially in complex situations.”

LA County residents will be able to identify different types of available food resources, such as child nutrition, meal services, groceries-food pantries, senior food needs and government food benefits programs.

The platform also provides location details, hours of operation and contact information for each of the services. The 211 LA County website is experiencing a tenfold increase in traffic related to food resources compared to pre-COVID timeframes, the organization said. The organization expects the new application to service nearly 30,000 LA County constituents over the next quarter, many of whom may not have prior experience with food assistance.

“Food resources are the biggest need people are contacting us about since the COVID-19 pandemic hit LA County,” said Maribel Marin, Executive Director, 211 LA County. “Our custom Slingshot Earth food locator provides our community with a one-stop-shop for food resource information, helping to provide peace of mind to those who need food assistance during this unprecedented time.”

The 211 LA County’s customized Slingshot Earth mapping tool aggregates food resources and service data from multiple public and private sources so that individuals have the right information, at the right time, all in one place. The data is verified and updated regularly.