Amistad de Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Amistad de Los Angeles provides reentry services for up to 184 men in California as they work their way towards reintegration. We use elements of our Teaching Community curriculums to help students process past trauma, history, and behavior.
Students learn to care for themselves physically starting with a healthy diet, meditation and yoga in a welcoming, culturally diverse environment where they can begin to explore their own experiences within the family context. The goal for our students is becoming contributing members of their communities.
Additionally we partner with numerous agencies to provide vocational, GED, educational, employment and housing services. In Fall of 2021, we broke ground on a three year renovation project for our Amistad campus, which allows us to help more students.
Licensed by the CA Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Amity Foundation- Amistad de Los Angeles Campus - #190259AN Exp. 5/31/2023. Also found here: DHCS website
When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body created on this earth, of this earth,
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman can live freely without sanctimonious piety Without crippling fear
When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible We are the miraculous,
the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.
— Maya Angelou,
Keynote Speaker, Addressing the United Nations 50th Anniversary
A Letter from a Student to Our Culinary Arts Head Chef
Dear Chef,
After arriving at Amity, I found out about nutrition served here daily – plant based and non-GMO foods, limited sugar and gluten products. Vegan and vegetarian welcome in the Amity kitchen. In addition to great food is the fresh juice that is made daily.
When I arrived from [prison] I came with pre-cancerous skin cancer on my left forearm and melanoma cancer on my forehead.
While incarcerated I was considered high risk for repeat onsets of skin cancer. Every three months I would visit the hospital dermatology department to be examined for cancer and every three months they would find a new cancer location and do a biopsy, always coming back positive. In the last 10 years I have had cancer twenty one times and chemotherapy twice. This has been a grueling cycle for me.
Since I arrived four months ago, I have only eaten what is served by Amity [as well as] drinking the super food juice.
I visited the UCLA dermatologist for a checkup. The doctor did a complete body check and determined there were no new onsets of cancer. This has not been the case for 5 years in total. Negative for new cancer spots!!
I can only attribute any changes for me to the great nutrition which includes daily juicing and very little sugar. I truly cannot express my thanks to you and Amity for providing me with tremendous nutrition during my stay here.
