The folks behind the LA Taco Festival aren’t actually taco experts- we’re dedicated to solving the problem of youth homelessness at our Boyle Heights based non-profit, Jovenes, Inc.  Jovenes is a place of personal transformation for homeless youth between the ages of 18-25. We provide everything from emergency shelter to permanent housing, helping youth get off the streets and into an apartment of their own.

Back in 2009, Jovenes had an ambitious idea to bring our city together and support our youth by celebrating a food we all love: TACOS! Somehow, there wasn’t a Taco Festival in Los Angeles, so we jumped on the opportunity to close off a few streets at Mariachi Plaza, showcase some of East LA’s tastiest tacos, bring in some awesome bands, and create a unique experience where people can get full, have fun, and support a great cause. Now an annual event, the LA Taco Festival has outgrown Mariachi Plaza and moved to Grand Park in the heart of Downtown, attracting thousands of people from across LA.

And the festival continues to support homeless youth! Jovenes is launching an innovative new program to take on the crisis of student homelessness on community college campuses in Los Angeles. With your support, we can help homeless students have the housing stability they need in order to graduate and move their lives forward! Tacos can help end youth homelessness!