South Bay Leader

Long Beach, CA – On Saturday, May 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the City of Long Beach will host its third donation drive thru event as part of a monthly series, to collect essential items to distribute to people experiencing homelessness. The event will take place at the Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Main Facilities Center, located at 2525 Grand Ave. Donations received during the event will be distributed at the Multi-Service Center to people experiencing homelessness and will also be available to local partner organizations to distribute.

“As the City continues to make great strides in addressing homelessness, our community has come together in a great way to support those in need,’’ said Mayor Rex Richardson. “I’m proud of our community members for coming together and caring for our neighbors who are in need by donating essential items.”

With the warm summer months quickly approaching, items such as sunscreen, hats, protective sunshades/umbrellas and reusable water bottles are in need, as are hygiene kits. Any of the following items are also welcomed for contribution:

• Hygiene kits or house-warming gift kits from the Multi-Service Center Amazon Wish List.
• Backpacks filled with needed items such as hand warmers, flashlights, battery packs, batteries (usually D batteries), emergency blankets and charging cables.
• Pet care kits with things like pet food, treats, collars, leashes, pet toys or collapsible pet bowls.
• S, M, L, XL or XXL sweatpants, shirts, socks and men’s and women’s underwear, beanies, scarves, caps, hoodies, towels or blankets. Gently used items are appreciated, too.
• Welcome home kits with some of the suggested items above and a special hand-written motivating message to go in the kit.
• Food items like canned food, bottled drinks like juices or water, and snacks such as granola bars or power bars, instant oatmeal and instant soup.

While gift cards will not be accepted at the drive thru event, they can be donated at the MSC. To schedule a drop-off time, people can call 562.570.4586.

Since launching donation efforts in late February 2023, the City has collected more than 10,600 items generously donated by community members, including nearly 5,000 items during the City’s first two donation drive thru events and close to 6,000 from drop-off bins available at Long Beach Public Library branches and other locations.

To ensure these items can be distributed to as many people experiencing homelessness as possible, in April 2023 the City launched a donation request form for Long Beach-based organizations that support people experiencing homelessness to request items to further support their organization’s mission. Local organizations are encouraged to submit the form based on their charitable outreach needs. More than half of the items have been distributed to the MSC and community organizations.

More information on how community members can get involved is available on the Volunteer, Donate and Get Involved tab at longbeach.gov/homelessness.

The City does not represent or warrant that any donations made to the City are tax deductible. Donors are encouraged to work with their tax professional. Receipts of donations are available at all drop off locations.

For more information on the City’s efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media and follow the hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB.

Original source can be found here.