Christine Tran knows how the system can fail us when we need it most. Her parents struggled to walk the tightrope of qualifying for food assistance and not getting kicked off of it. They were refugees of the Vietnam War and raised their kids alongside them as they worked through garment jobs and painting houses. Now Tran works to get healthy food available in working class communities like her hometown of South El Monte.

Tran is executive director of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, which connects farmers with corner stores, food banks with surplus foods, and studies the obstacles for programs like Cal Fresh. She also writes about API diaspora - including her own Teochew culture - in addition to writing about food justice and just writing about food in the SGV!