Meet Natalie Del Real of Our Streets Los Angeles in Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Del Real.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Natalie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always wanted to give back ever since I was little. Being born and raised in the city and seeing the hidden troubles of LA that most ignore, I wanted to do something about but didn’t know where to start. It wasn’t until the pandemic started and I realized that if I want to do something, I just got to go for it. Everything fell into place once I started, I am so happy to have the support of our followers. We started in June of this year and so far, we have gotten over $5,000 in donation money total, over $1,000+ in toys for the Children’s Hospital, $300 to help a local homeless man get back on his feet, over $3,000 for our MamaFund which has helped us get to over 117 moms in need of baby essentials. Now we are focusing on raising money for our school supply drive which helps kids in need of the basic tools to learn.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Thankfully we have been really successful so far thanks to all of our amazing donations that we get. The struggles we have had so far is trying to get the word out about us since we are new. Our goal is to give people an easy way to give back to your community, no strings attached.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I started Our Streets LA less than a year ago in the wake of a global pandemic and widespread racial unrest. To say that we have been overwhelmed with the response is an understatement. In the past few months, we have undertaken numerous drives geared towards Los Angelenos in need, whether that be struggling moms, kids having trouble obtaining school supplies, marching for Black Lives Matter, or those at Children’s Hospital LA. What differentiates Our Streets LA from other local nonprofits is our desire to maintain a broad scope of vision for those in need. As Los Angelenos are facing numerous social and socioeconomic issues, we keep our eyes open for where our assistance will be most beneficial. This allows us the freedom to run consecutive drives, each one focusing on a particular group in need. As we have such a small team (my husband and myself), we rely on an ever-expanding group of wonderful volunteers who help us drop off diapers, school supplies, toys and more to families in need throughout Los Angeles County. For volunteer opportunities, please visit our website!

What were you like growing up?
Being born in raised in the city definitely molded me into who I am. I had always been quiet, shy, and stayed to myself. It wasn’t until middle school when I started making more friends and really breaking out of that. During my school days, I made it a staple for me to be friends with everyone who is kind to me. My school was especially “cliquey” and people were not the most welcoming. Looking back, I find myself realizing the coolest kids I met throughout high school were those kids that everyone called outcasts. I try to put that into Our Streets LA, I want to show the younger people who follow us to be kind with each other. The most important thing you can do in life is show kindness to each other, we really are all going through our own battles.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/OurstreetsLA
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: ourstreetsla_

Image Credit:
Black and White image by Danny Lane @dannyscottlane

Suggest a story: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.