Page 25 - BEQ Magazine Iss 23 FINAL v3

Below: Queen, Culinary Arts graduate, 2022

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE L .A . LGBT CENTER

California’s Department of Aging con- the program may always depend, in part,
tracts with caterers to provide nutrition on grant revenue, but the social enter-
for accredited senior-housing sites. prise is proving to be its own magnet for
Housing for LGBTQ seniors has been a certain types of funding.
core service of the Center for years. Now, “Having a social enterprise gives us
with the emergence of its food produc- access to funding streams that didn’t
tion enterprise, the Center can keep the come to us as just a regular nonprofit,”
meals service in-house as well – literally Panepinto stated. Banks have looked
feeding its residents and figuratively to support the Center’s social enter-
feeding a virtuous cycle of essential prise because stipends for students and
services, skill-building, commercial ser- new income for newly-hired program
vices, and sustainable revenue. graduates represent a need for banking
Outside of café sales – and in addi- services, such as checking accounts.
Above: Gio Bertucelli, Barista at Liberation tion to feeding on-campus residents,
Coffee House . Hospitals, like Cedars-Sinai, want to
drop-in clients, and Center residents at support the Center’s social enterprise
other sites – the program is also hoping efforts because the economic stability
to increase revenue from commercial of a community is correlated with better
catering with outside customers as well. health outcomes. Chambers of com-
merce can also become a social-service
BRAND-NEW organization’s strategic partner when
STAKEHOLDERS: THE social enterprise becomes part of the
OTHER REVENUE model because chambers have a direct
OPPORTUNITY IN SOCIAL stake in the success of area businesses,
including access to skilled employees.
ENTERPRISE The Center’s partnership with the West
Between its various public contracts, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has
partnerships, retail revenue, and antic- resulted in not just direct funding but a
ipated growth in the catering business, network of program internship sites as
Panepinto said that the revenue goal well. Panepinto encourages nonprofits
for the social enterprise endeavor is considering a social enterprise to think
self-sufficiency for the training program. broadly about what new partnerships
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE L .A . LGBT CENTER “We haven’t reached that point, but could emerge because “it’s really about
we’re getting closer.” The reality is that how the whole community works.” 

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