ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles Collaborates With Southern California Muralists to Design and Sell Wearable Works of Their Art to Raise Money for Local Food Banks

ABC7 Los Angeles Launches Online Merchandise Store This Wednesday, Aug. 26

The Initiative Is Part of ABC7’s Feed SoCal Campaign That Aims to Help End Hunger

View News Coverage Here

ABC7 Los Angeles, Southern California’s most-watched television station, teamed up with popular local muralists to create wearable works of art that can be purchased exclusively through an e-commerce partnership with Snow Commerce on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the newly launched ABC7’s apparel shop, in efforts to raise money as part of ABC7’s Feed SoCal Campaign. The campaign is an ongoing effort to reduce food insecurities through food donations and fundraisers for Southern California regional food banks.

Local muralists’ art will be prominently displayed on 100% cotton, crew neck “Feed SoCal” shirts that will sell between $24.95 – $28.50. ABC7 will donate 100% of its proceeds from the sales of these exclusive designs to Southern California food banks.

The Feed SoCal Campaign includes the following food banks in Southern California: Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Feeding America Riverside/San Bernardino and FOOD Share, and Ventura County’s Food Bank.

As more people are experiencing food insecurities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ABC7 continues to create innovative ways to connect with Southern California communities in its efforts to give back to those in need.

“Southern California muralists are part of the makeup of heart and love for the city of Los Angeles,” said Cheryl Fair, president and general manager of KABC. “During a pandemic and a movement we’re all experiencing together, we saw a unique opportunity to display their vision in a way that would give back to the very community they illustrate.”

The first artist featured is Los Angeles-based Corie Mattie, muralist and founder of the LA Hope Dealer. Her Feed SoCal T-shirt is the first made available to purchase at the new ABC7 apparel shop. “It’s really important for people to give back to the community; and I think, with art, you can really portray messages that speak to people,” Mattie said.

Participating Muralists:

Corie Mattie, Feed SoCal-themed t-shirt on sale Wednesday, Aug. 26:
With an East Coast mindset and an L.A. zip code, Corie Mattie brings her humility and work ethic to the glamorous lifestyle of the West Coast. She uses her personal experiences to relate to her audiences as she finds ways to communicate through wordplay and imagery. Corie looks at dark times as an opportunity to shed light on art, community and humanity in a captivating way. In spring 2020, she created the La Hope Dealer moniker and movement in response to the rise of the global coronavirus and the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. Her goal is to combat both viral and racial pandemics plaguing our world—with hope.

Jeremy Novy, Feed SoCal-themed t-shirt on sale Wednesday, Sept. 2:
A California-based street artist known for his stencils of koi fish and efforts in support of gay activism and a champion of LGBTQ iconography, Novy depicts often underrepresented subjects to promote awareness and acceptance of multiplicity and modern identity. Novy stencils sociopolitical works in public spaces to democratize the process of viewing art and to beautify urban blight and unused spaces. His medium primarily consists of spray paint and a stencil which allows for speedy application and uniformity.

KAR_PART, Feed SoCal-themed t-shirt on sale Wednesday, Sept. 9:
KAR_PART is an L.A. native, mechanical engineer product-designer-turned-street artist fueled by a growing frustration with sociopolitical, economic and behavioral conditions. Kar’s work often examines the multitude of layers that define us as people – from the outermost flesh layer to the caricature representation of one’s personality and the core level, that which motivates or drives us.

Ruben Rojas, Feed SoCal-themed t-shirt on sale Wednesday, Sept. 16:
In 2013, Ruben Rojas traded in his suit for a paintbrush and began transforming blank walls into unique, empowering messages that today are uplifting communities and challenging the public to create new dialogues. As an artist, muralist and activist, Ruben’s mission is to ignite creativity and inspire others to see the world through the lens of love. By using the urban landscape as his canvas, Ruben encourages communities to change for the better through optimism and collaboration. These once vacant walls are now vibrant reminders that inspire those who see them to dream big, feel beautiful, live in possibility, and to love.

At the start of the summer, ABC 7 announced its partnership with ESPN LA 710 and the Southern California regional food banks to host the 9th Annual Feed SoCal Friday. The merchandise site is an exclusive partnership with Snow Commerce to provide ABC7-branded merchandise to viewers and followers in an effort to raise much-needed funds for community initiatives and nonprofit partners. When the Feed SoCal campaign concludes at the end of September, the proceeds from all future sales of the shirts will continue to be distributed to KABC’s Southern California food bank partners.

To purchase merchandise visit https://abc7.com/shop. To view more stories of the critical need for food during the COVID-19 crisis and ways to donate, viewers are encouraged to tune in every Friday until Sept. 11, 2020, to ABC7’s 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. newscasts. Visit abc7.com/feedsocal to donate to the food bank of your choice.

About KABC Los Angeles
ABC7 Los Angeles is Southern California’s No. 1 local news and information source. ABC7 is a leader in digital and social audience engagements and was the first station in the Los Angeles market to regularly broadcast news in high definition and also the first local television station in the United States to surpass 3 million Facebook followers. The station’s offices and studio are located in Glendale, California.

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Media Contact:
Elita Fielder Adjei
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