Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
The James Beard Humanitarian of the Year Award is given to an individual or organization working in the realm of food who has given selflessly and worked tirelessly to better the lives of others and society at large.
No Us Without You/Othón Nolasko and Damián Diaz
In 2020, Othón Nolasko and Damián Diaz co-founded No Us Without You in Los Angeles to provide food relief to the most vulnerable hospitality workers affected by the pandemic, including undocumented back-of-house workers ineligible for unemployment benefits. Using their own money, Nolasko and Diaz discovered they could feed a family of four for one week for just $33. They launched with the goal of feeding 30 families a week; as of December 2025, they provide food security for over 500 families quarterly. Donations have sustained the nonprofit beyond the emergency phase, enabling No Us Without You to provide pantry essentials and fresh produce to back-of-house staff such as dishwashers and line and prep cooks—to the tune of 10,000 pounds of food per quarter. During ICE raids in L.A. in spring 2025, the partners pivoted to working with a coalition of restaurants to serve meals to up to 40 families at home every fortnight to help them avoid the raids in L.A. restaurants. By providing solutions to feed disenfranchised hospitality workers during times of crisis, Diaz and Nolasco are stabilizing the workforce that makes hospitality possible.
Learn more at jamesbeard.org
The James Beard Humanitarian of the Year Award is given to an individual or organization working in the realm of food who has given selflessly and worked tirelessly to better the lives of others and society at large.
No Us Without You/Othón Nolasko and Damián Diaz
In 2020, Othón Nolasko and Damián Diaz co-founded No Us Without You in Los Angeles to provide food relief to the most vulnerable hospitality workers affected by the pandemic, including undocumented back-of-house workers ineligible for unemployment benefits. Using their own money, Nolasko and Diaz discovered they could feed a family of four for one week for just $33. They launched with the goal of feeding 30 families a week; as of December 2025, they provide food security for over 500 families quarterly. Donations have sustained the nonprofit beyond the emergency phase, enabling No Us Without You to provide pantry essentials and fresh produce to back-of-house staff such as dishwashers and line and prep cooks—to the tune of 10,000 pounds of food per quarter. During ICE raids in L.A. in spring 2025, the partners pivoted to working with a coalition of restaurants to serve meals to up to 40 families at home every fortnight to help them avoid the raids in L.A. restaurants. By providing solutions to feed disenfranchised hospitality workers during times of crisis, Diaz and Nolasco are stabilizing the workforce that makes hospitality possible.
Learn more at jamesbeard.org
