Pilar Buelna is a seasoned leader with over two decades of experience driving transformative change across nonprofit and corporate sectors. Her career has been defined by a commitment to building and strengthening systems that amplify the impact of social service programs serving underserved and underrepresented communities. 

Before joining the HoFoCo, Pilar served as a Senior Manager at Snap Inc., the technology company behind Snapchat. In that role, she led a team of global Council facilitators. Council is a practice of storytelling and listening that builds a culture of inclusion, connection, and collaboration across the organization worldwide.

Pilar’s roots are deeply grounded in the nonprofit sector. Before joining Snap Inc., she led the Social Services and Development departments at The Salvation Army’s Southern California Division, where she successfully expanded programs and services by 50%. Her work centered on programs in early childhood development, community and youth services, in-patient substance abuse rehabilitation, and transitional and permanent supportive housing for unhoused veterans, families, and individuals. Earlier in her career, Pilar focused on parent engagement through education-focused nonprofits and was the founding board chair of Equitas Academy Charter School, located in the Pico Union neighborhood where she grew up.

Pilar’s civic engagement includes serving on Los Angeles city commissions, education boards, and university advisory committees. She began her professional journey as a children’s and medical social worker and remains committed to direct service and systemic change.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from California State University Northridge, and a Master’s in Social Work from San Diego State University and is a licensed therapist. Pilar lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughters.

Linda Pianigiani is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer as well as an organ builder and woodworker. She hails from Italy, and after more than a decade in film development and production, working on all kinds of films, from blockbusters to Emmy Award-nominated documentaries, she transitioned to managing programs and partnerships in the nonprofit sector. Her introduction to the Hollywood Food Coalition started back in 2015, when she began as a volunteer on the line and eventually moved to the kitchen shifts, putting her love for food to work for a great cause. She joined the board of directors in 2017 and, in 2022, stepped down to enthusiastically join HoFoCo’s staff. As Associate Director of Development and Communications, Linda helps build out the organization’s fundraising strategies, manages and executes events and develops corporate engagement strategy. She also creates and implements marketing, content, and external communication strategies.

Erin Lovelace works as the Community Dinner Manager at Hollywood Food Coalition. Erin’s job works directly with staff, volunteers, and over 100 nightly guests the kitchen serves at the coalition’s community dinner. During the pandemic, Erin stumbled into the coalition as a temporary dishwasher and never left.

Nina Angelo, born and raised in Atwater Village, studied food justice and sustainability at UC Berkeley, inspired by the Bay Area’s commitment to food justice and alternative food systems. Managing a farmers’ market in LA post-college heightened her appreciation for local farmers and vendors, and introduced her to food recovery when she built a food distribution with a neighborhood corner store. As a passionate home cook, Nina believes cooking is a way to honor food and its producers, driving her advocacy for equity across our food system. Drawing on these experiences, Nina aims to cultivate resilience and promote holistic food justice visions in her communities.

Collin Leaver serves as the Head of Culinary Operations for Hollywood Food Coalition (HoFoCo). Collin has had over 15 years of experience working in senior management positions in the culinary arts industry both in hotels and restaurants. In his capacity as Head of Culinary Operations for HoFoCo, he bridges his knowledge of food and his dedication to serve his community to ensure that HoFoCo meets its standards to provide both healthy and nutritious meals for food-insecure and low-income persons.
Prior to joining HoFoCo, Collin worked as the Chef de Cuisine for L’Auberge Del Mar in San Diego and a Corporate Chef overseeing eight restaurant locations throughout Los Angeles. Before moving to Southern California, he was the Chef de Cuisine for A16 Restaurant in San
Francisco, which received several James Beard awards and nominations and was featured in Food and Wine Magazine. Collin also spent time working with Chef Matthew Accarino at SPQR; a restaurant that was awarded its first Michelin Star during Collin’s time there. Collin was born in Los Angeles and grew up in San Diego. He attended college in New York before moving back to California to pursue his career as a Chef.

Mary was born in Venezuela and raised in Argentina, Dubai, and, ultimately, Illinois, where she attended high school and college. After graduating with a degree in film from Columbia College Chicago, Mary moved to Los Angeles, where she’s worked in casting for the past nine years. During the early days of the pandemic, Mary began volunteering at SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition and found she had a passion and knack for building and maintaining relationships with her unhoused neighbors. Mary joined HoFoCo as a peer navigator, providing on-site navigation for guests and connecting them with vital services. In her current role, Mary helps HoFoCo continue to manage its Wellness partnerships with other nonprofits and develop new partnerships, provide on-site and off-site service navigation to Community Dinner guests, help coordinate Wellness item distributions, and refine  Wellness data and referral systems, among other responsibilities. Mary’s excited to work with HoFoCo guests and thrilled to be a full-time member of the team.  

Sherry began volunteering with the Coalition over 20 years ago. Over this time, Sherry has worn nearly every hat possible with HoFoCo, from cooking meals to taking clients to doctor appointments to serving multiple terms as Board President.  Sherry brings to HoFoCo a profound concern for the welfare of those struggling, along with the tools needed to help make improvements in their lives.

Sherry has always believed that the strength of HoFoCo lies in its ability to function as a coalition, where everyone feels welcome and accepted. She has a BS and MA in Occupational Therapy from USC and over 40 years of experience working with people struggling with significant life changes due to physical and mental health challenges.  As HoFoCo’s first-ever salaried Executive Director, she envisioned HoFoCo creating a community hub where service providers can work together efficiently and effectively to help people in crisis access services and support for their immediate needs as well as for their personal growth. She is excited to continue contributing to HoFoCo as its Special Projects Advisor.

As a seasoned HR Generalist with over 10 years of experience, Fawna is dedicated to fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture. Her expertise encompasses employee relations, onboarding, benefits administration, and employee engagement. She excels at building strong relationships, resolving conflicts, and implementing effective HR strategies. Her proven track record includes streamlining HR processes, enhancing employee benefit offerings, and promoting a culture of employee well-being. Outside of work, she enjoys spending quality time with her beloved dog, Gizmo, as well as family and friends. fawna.jefferson.williams@hofoco.org

Patrick is the Project Manager & Organization Administrator at HoFoCo. As Project Manager, Patrick leads a special soon-to-be-announced project. As Organization Administrator, Patrick does most of the HR work for the organization, along with completing other administrative duties. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Patrick first started volunteering with HoFoCo when he was 9 years old and joined the staff in 2020.  

Sofia is delighted to serve as the Development Coordinator for Hollywood Food Coalition. Growing up in Los Angeles, she always hoped to serve the community that raised her. As a recent graduate from Rice University with a degree in Psychology, Sofia is excited to give back using her fundraising and event coordination skills. Sofia enjoys crocheting, reading, and exploring her city in her downtime. She is so excited to be a part of the HoFoCo team and connect with HoFoCo guests.

Marike moved from Montréal, Canada in February 2020. She started volunteering at the Community Dinner program in June 2020 as a way to help during the pandemic. She then started working as a kitchen assistant at HoFoCo in March 2021. She’s now working in Administration as a Scheduling Coordinator and is excited about this new chapter. Marike worked as a flight attendant for 8 years and loves traveling around the globe. She also enjoys cooking and discovering new restaurants. ">

As HoFoCo’s Volunteer Coordinator, Jill focuses on volunteer coordination for the Community Dinner and office management, including reminding volunteers that it’s their day to help, thanking donors for their generous donations, picking up mail, maintaining stats (meals, clients, donations, etc.), and coordinating projects. Jill began with HoFoCo as a Food Runner and has been with the organization ever since. With a background in theater and the performing arts, copy editing, teaching and tutoring, Jill has done it all – you name it, she’s done it. She could also be found, before the pandemic, leading visits at the Getty Villa as an Arts Education Docent.

Dougald was born, raised, and educated in Oregon.  He has lived and worked throughout the west, spending years in San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, and Seattle, before landing in Los Angeles 25 years ago. He is so happy to be part of Hollywood Food Coalition, where he started as a volunteer with his friends. Dougald lives in Glassell Park with his daughter, Ruby.

Joey Aronhalt is the Community & Outreach Specialist at Hollywood Food Coalition. With a passion for sharing food and working with people, He began volunteering with HoFoCo shortly after moving to Los Angeles and was promptly offered a job. He has been dedicated to the organization ever since. 

Miles Daniels graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2013 with a degree in History. After moving to Los Angeles later that same year, he worked in the retail industry before entering the non-profit workforce with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in 2020. After two years of Market Research and Data Analysis, he jumped at the opportunity to join the team at Hollywood Food Coalition in June 2022. As Community Exchange Program Supervisor, Miles balances growing and managing his team and learning as much as possible about the food recovery space. Having lived in the Hollywood area for the last ten years, Miles has seen firsthand the incredible work Hollywood Food Coalition has done and continues to do day after day. He’s excited to be a HoFoCo team member and to continue helping those in need.

Phil was born in Houston and grew up in Detroit. After graduating from the University of Michigan, he moved to Chicago and spent nearly a decade performing, writing and directing theater. He then moved to New York, where he worked as a post-production producer at an animation studio. His work in commercial post-production brought him to Los Angeles, which easily ranks in the Top 5 places he’s lived. In 2021, he pivoted to the nonprofit world and joined HoFoCo to make nightly dinners for the unhoused community. In 2022 he joined HoFoCo’s Exchange program as Food Sharing Coordinator. In his Food Sharing Lead role, Phil handles the daily distribution of rescued food to dozens of charity organizations throughout LA and manages the California Climate Action Corps fellows. He’s thrilled to be part of the HoFoCo team. It’s a true joy to spend each day getting food to those who need it most, alongside a crew of inspiring coworkers and volunteers.

Born and raised in the Valley, Jonnie went to art school in Oakland, CA where they ended up being more interested in the social practice and activism side of art making. Being most moved by learning of the local history around the Black Panther Party and their historic free breakfast program, Jonnie became very involved in mutual aid work when they moved back home to LA before the pandemic, most often passing out meals provided by Hollywood Food Coalition to the unhoused community of the West Valley. Coming from a bakery and professional cake decorating background, Jonnie switched their focus to food recovery and housing advocacy and has since managed numerous on-site and pop-up food pantry locations throughout LA as well as worked as a direct caseworker. Jonnie is excited to be the Food Rescue Coordinator at Hollywood Food Coalition!

A native of Detroit, graduate of the Los Angeles Film School, and huge baseball fan, Jeff joined HoFoCo’s Community Exchange in the summer of 2021, where he is excited to work with wonderful people on one common goal: serving the community! Before HoFoCo, Jeff worked for the LA Dodgers and on various films and TV shows. Jeff is very proud of his two kids, Danielle (18) and Travis (6). When not working, you can find Jeff hanging out with his son at the park, catching a move, going to a baseball game, enjoying college football (GO BLUE!), catching a Morrissey show, or taking a nap! 

Nick has been working with HoFoCo since 2018 and helps plan the routes to the donors and vendors all over Los Angeles County, as well as physically transporting/loading in and out thousands of pounds of food everyday.

After delivering them for redistribution to the HoFoCo kitchen and other organizations, he works within the Exchange program, helping with inventory, as well as communicating to volunteers and organizing the kitchen throughout the day.

Nick is originally from Minneapolis, MN and is also a working recording/touring musician.