Check Out Jules Sorensen’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jules Sorensen.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Born and raised in Los Angeles, I’m a proud Eastside Angeleno. I have lived and raised my family in SilverLake, Echo Park & Los Feliz.

In my early 20’s I was pursuing a career as an actress. I have always loved the study of the human experience. Acting, living truthfully under imaginary circumstances, was exhilarating to me.

It was in my first acting class that I met my dear friend and mentor Delia Javier in the early 90’s. We studied together for many years and there began a true love affair into self exploration. When I first met DeliaI I was honestly afraid of her. She was many years my senior. She possessed a certain mysterious mystic nature about her. To be honest, she was intimidating.
During a scene study assignment, I was paired up with her. That meant one on one time doing character building conversations and rehearsals. As I arrived to her home for a rehearsal one day she was on the floor chopping veggies. I thought, cool what a great activity to build our scene. But no, she was actually preparing a sturdy veggie stew for the unhoused population in skid-row. She invited me to join her under the pretense of great character study opportunities.
I joined her and never turned back. She was right, it was an opportunity to get to know a population unfamiliar to me but it also gave me something else. Over the years I learned, and it remains engrained in me—the life-saving gift of service. This is the foundation of the work I do.

Mama D Feeds the Homeless began in 1990 and twenty years after Delia’s passing in 2005 it is an honor to continue in her legacy. The organization now called, Mama D’s Kitchen, sustains the work she began and has only become more relevant in the decades since.

The county of Los Angeles faces an unhoused epidemic. In my humble opinion there are many factors that contribute to this crisis. No one is spared the unforgiving circumstances of high rents, financial struggles, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health struggles, LGBTQ intolerance, and the raising cost of living in LA. There are no easy answers to these complex problems our city faces. But what I do know is that all people deserve to be seen, respected, heard, fed, and approached with compassion, kindness, and love.

Mama D’s Kitchen is a Sunday morning pop-up feeding program in the heart of Skid-Row. We provide a hot breakfast, a bag of food to take away, clothing, and hygiene kits. Over the years we have gotten to be known for severing our gourmet oatmeal. I like to add a special touch with vanilla, cinnamon, butter, and dates when they are available or blueberries.

We serve the fully unhoused as well as people from the surrounding shelters and women’s centers – rain or shine. We arrive at 7am on 5th Street and San Pedro Street in Skid Row (the line begins to form at 6:30am). Bags, etc. that were prepped on Friday morning in Korea town by our volunteers with items from the LA Regional Food Bank, are passed out to the line. Aside from providing much needed food, some of the most important elements we give are community, consistency, and safety. Our folks have come to rely on a line that doesn’t require any sort of indoctrination, no need to belong to a church or particular sect, sober or not. Everyone that comes through our line is treated with respect, patience, and kindness.

And the best part of the day is by 10am we have fed 150-200 people, finished, cleaned up and collect many thank you’s and God bless you’s.
That never gets old.
It takes a village of like minded souls that are moved by human kindness and a shared commitment to service. I am eternally grateful to Lee Sherman, co-founder of Mama D’s Kitchen. Whose commitment and dedication has forged Mama D’s Kitchen forward.
Massive thank you to our core tribe of volunteers, Dada Mukta Atma Ananda, Alicia Wells, Kristen Hastings, Gunner Johnson, Pavel Malygin, Ira McAliley, Jade Sorensen, Kayla Perkins, River Harmony, Andei Burkov, Anna Liaksushonok,
Lee Newell, Paige Turner. Your commitment to Mama D’s Kitchen is priceless.
We simply can’t do it without you.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have come across many challenges over the years. It’s not always easy to find volunteers that will show up at 9am on Fridays and 6am on Sundays. Our core tribe of volunteers have been a part of the program for many years. Occasionally we get a few new people that will volunteer for a few weeks here or there. And we are always grateful to welcome new volunteers!

Another ongoing challenge is fundraising. Our existence as a non-profit means that we survive solely on donations from our friends and sympathizers. Historically we don’t spend any money on overhead, no one gets paid for their time. This is truly a grass-roots operation with every dollar going to provide meals and supplies. We don’t have money for much advertising, so we rely on word-of-mouth, social media and non-profit resource organizations to sustain operations.
The city of Los Angeles has cited us numerous times simply for our meal services in skid row, though luckily after several cordial interactions with LAPD we now fly under the radar.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I work in the mental health industry. My company is called J.A.S.Wellness. I’m a trauma-informed recovery and mental health coach, consultant, and assist with Interventions. This includes patients that are affected by trauma, substance abuse disorder, and mental illness. With fifteen years of experience working with a population that has the financial resources to afford my services, I’m struck by the parallels of my professional clientele and the population on Skid Row, that I call my community. The common denominator is trauma.
Beneath the behaviors of “addiction” is unseen, unspoken ,unhealed trauma. In my work as a coach one of the struggles I find is the lack of purpose that many people have when they struggle with mental health and substance abuse disorder. I have learned from firsthand experience the value of putting others first, finding a way to be of service could be an important path to finding purpose, building confidence and self respect. Do unto others-

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Right from the beginning of this journey I have felt like the luckiest person on the planet. I’ve had the most incredible mentors and my path has been very guided and supported. I inherited this program with a legacy and my enthusiasm and passion for remaining relevant in society as a single mother continues to grow. Call it a gift, call it luck- I am endlessly grateful for the tenacity to continue. I feel so lucky to have a drive that pulls me forward. I remain eternally grateful for this incredible platform, Mama D’s Kitchen, to practice the art of being human.

Pricing:

• Our feeding program is free

Contact Info:

• Website: Mamaskitcchen.org
• Facebook: Mama D’s Kitchen

Image Credits
Kristen Kastings Meeno Peluce