South LA Needs You

The Hot & Cool Foundation serves South LA residents, with a focus on at-risk individuals, seniors, and aspiring youth who face systemic barriers to opportunity. Our programs are led by local community members who understand the challenges and potential of our neighborhoods, ensuring solutions are culturally grounded and impactful.

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Our partners

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  • Logo reading 'Brotherhood Crusade' with 'Brotherhood' in purple and 'Crusade' in gold cursive font.

Our work

A barista's hands tamping coffee grounds in a portafilter on an espresso machine.
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Workforce development

Build skills, Earn wages & Create opportunities

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We provide paid training, hands-on experience, and direct job placement to South LA residents. From our 100-hour culinary program to Metro coffee carts, we break barriers and open doors to living-wage careers and entrepreneurship.

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Close-up of a speckled beige ceramic vase with a narrow opening at the top.
Close-up of a textured beige ceramic vase with a rounded body and narrow opening.
Close-up of a beige, speckled ceramic vase with a rounded shape and a narrow opening.
A young man wearing gloves and a black shirt with the name tag 'ORA' is chopping lettuce on a cutting board in a commercial kitchen.
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Food insecurity

Feed the body, Strengthen the community

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We provide fresh meals and sustain vital food resources for seniors, families, and vulnerable residents. With over 1,500 meals delivered and 625 weekly food pantry recipients, we nourish South LA while building stability and wellness.

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Close-up of a speckled beige ceramic vase with a round opening at the top.
Man standing outdoors pouring hot water from a copper kettle into a cup, wearing sunglasses, a striped shirt, a black apron with yellow and red lettering, and a black cap in front of a red brick wall.
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Coffee carts

POwer the PRograms & The Community

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Close-up of a speckled, beige ceramic pot with a wide opening and smooth rounded shape.
Close-up of a beige, speckled ceramic vase with a wide, rounded body and small opening at the top.

We provide paid training, hands-on experience, and direct job placement to South LA residents. From our 100-hour culinary program to Metro coffee carts, we break barriers and open doors to living-wage careers and entrepreneurship.

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We are raising $250,000 to directly invest in the people and programs that make South LA stronger. Your donation will fund critical initiatives, including paid culinary training for 40 residents, free meals for seniors, a local food pantry serving hundreds weekly, and entrepreneurial opportunities like our Metro coffee carts. It will also support the essential infrastructure — staff, program management, and systems — that ensures these programs can scale, measure impact, and create lasting change. Every gift moves capital directly into the community, breaking barriers, building opportunity, and empowering residents to thrive.

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THE ROAD TO $250K

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$100K

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$250K

healing and empowerment are inseparable

Two men in a laboratory, one with long dreadlocks and tattoos, and the other with glasses and a bald head, conducting a scientific experiment with laboratory equipment.
A peaceful park walkway lined with trees, benches, and small shrubs, with a blue fence enclosing a playground in the background, under a partly sunny sky.
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Without access to resources, training, and opportunity, talented individuals remain trapped in cycles of poverty. By funding grassroots programs directly and investing in both people and infrastructure, we create lasting change that strengthens the entire community.

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MEET THE TEAM 

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SAHAR KHAN

Chief operating officer

Sahar is a first generation Muslim Pakistani woman born and raised in New York. She has been working across Non-profit and Tech for the past 10 years. She’s worked for various organizations in the policy, global education public education, and big tech space with an expertise in supporting grassroots organizations. She leans on her faith and knowledge of Islamic history to influence her organizing strategies in order to create inclusive and equitable spaces for everyone.

A man wearing sunglasses, a cap that says 'TWELVE', a striped shirt, a tie, and a black apron with 'SYNERGETICS TONY' written on it, pouring hot water from a copper kettle into a cup outdoors against a brick wall.

TONY JOLLY

founder & executive director

Tony Jolly is the Founder and CEO of the Hot & Cool Foundation. A pioneering Black entrepreneur, expert barista, and longtime South LA resident, Tony brings nearly two decades of coffee industry experience—from sourcing on Ethiopian farms to founding Crenshaw Coffee Co.—into his community work. His deep understanding of equitable supply chains inspired the Foundation’s unique "whole-human pathway" model, which addresses both immediate crises and systemic barriers. Under Tony’s leadership, the Foundation connects essential services like food security with paid workforce training, barista certification, and social enterprise opportunities—creating tangible bridges from poverty to prosperity in the community he calls home.

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The Hot ANd Cool FOunation

Three women wearing masks and gloves unloading boxes of strawberries from a truck. One woman is handing a box to another, while a third woman watches. All are engaged in organizing the boxes.

At Hot & Cool, we believe that healing is not just emotional — it’s economic. Personal and communal well-being flourishes when people have access to resources, opportunities, and stability. That’s why our work centers economic empowerment as a pathway to wellness.

Through our programs, we equip at-risk individuals with tools to build brighter futures. And with the launch of the future launch of the Hot & Cool Fund, we’re expanding that mission by moving capital directly into black and brown communities. No gatekeeping. No red tape. Just direct support for grassroots organizers, community organizations, and system-impacted individuals that need support to stabilize their lives.

your donation helps us remove barriers, invest in local leadership, and build long-term community power.

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