Today we’d like to introduce you to Genevieve Riutort.
Hi Genevieve, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hi, I’m Genevieve Riutort, President and CEO of Westside Food Bank. My journey with the food bank started over 18 years ago, at one of the most challenging times of my life. I was going through a divorce, raising three young kids, and trying to figure out how to keep us afloat. Getting a job at the food bank didn’t just provide stability — it gave me a path forward.
I know firsthand what it’s like to worry about where your next meal is coming from or whether you’ll have a safe place to live. Those experiences are at the heart of everything I do. They fuel my passion to make sure others don’t have to face those fears alone.
I was raised by a single mom in the Bronx, so in many ways, this work feels like I’m helping to break the cycle of poverty that shaped my early life. It’s an incredible feeling to be able to uplift others the way I once needed lifting up.
When I first came out to Los Angeles, it was to chase a dream of working in the entertainment industry as an actor. Life had other plans. I found my true calling at Westside Food Bank — and it’s been the most meaningful role I could have ever imagined.
Today, Westside Food Bank serves as the food hub for more than 60 social service agencies across West Los Angeles. We provide fresh produce, pantry staples, high-protein foods, and more — all free of charge — so our partners can focus their resources on vital services like job training, healthcare, counseling, recovery support, and housing.
One of the things I’m most proud of is how we help families stay housed. Our mobile markets and pantry partners save families over $300 a month in grocery costs — and sometimes that’s the difference between making rent and facing homelessness.
Leading Westside Food Bank isn’t just my job — it’s my calling. I’m grateful every day for the chance to turn my story into something that lifts others up.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The past few months have tested Westside Food Bank like never before. The devastating Los Angeles County wildfires this January displaced thousands of families and deepened the food insecurity crisis in our community. In the two months since, we’ve seen a 30% spike in need at our mobile markets and through our partner agencies — and that number continues to grow.
Inflation, layoffs in government-funded industries, and cuts to social services are making it even harder for families to stay afloat. At the same time, federal funding for food assistance programs like TEFAP and FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program is being reduced or delayed, shrinking the supply of free food available across LA County.
These challenges are real and daunting — but so is our commitment to the community. Within just a few weeks of the fires, we distributed more than 31 tons of food and supplies to over 4,000 people. We’re leaning on local partnerships, emergency grants, and the incredible support of volunteers to meet this surge in need.
Recovery won’t happen overnight. But at Westside Food Bank, we believe in the power of persistence, compassion, and community. No matter how tough things get, we’re here — and we’re not giving up.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Westside Food Bank is the primary food bank in West Los Angeles County, servicing over 60 nonprofit food assistance programs in the communities of Santa Monica, Venice, Culver City, West Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Inglewood, and the LAX area. We estimate that we serve 72,000 households comprising 150,000 individuals.
The populations we serve include low-income individuals and families with children, seniors on fixed incomes, adults and transition-aged youth experiencing homelessness, and those precariously housed, people with mental health conditions, chronic illnesses, and other disabilities, college students, and veterans and their families. Simply put, our food goes to anyone in our service area who would otherwise lack access to enough nourishing food to thrive.
Our mission is to end hunger in our communities by providing free, nutritious food through food acquisition and distribution, engaging the community, and advocating for a strong food assistance network.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Books – I love memoirs of women with interesting lives. I recently read memoirs by Connie Chung’ and Ione Skye.
Apps – Empower You Unlimited Audio from Hay House keeps me centered and sane. I love recording video messages for my friends on Marco Polo and I’m in a WhatsApp chat group with people I was in the Prep for Prep scholarship program with over 40 years ago.
Podcasts – The Handsome Podcast makes me laugh, the Sporkful is a fun exploration of food and humanity, and I obsess over recap podcasts for shows like The White Lotus and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and my new favorite, That Was Us – recapping This is Us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wsfb.org
- Instagram: @westsidefoodbank
- Facebook: @westsidefoodbank
- LinkedIn: @westside-food-bank
- Twitter: @westsidefoodbank
- Youtube: @WestsideFoodBank
