PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – On Saturday, March 18, the City of Long Beach will host a drive thru donation event to collect essential items for people experiencing homelessness. The donation drive will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Veterans Stadium (5000 E. Lew Davis St.) parking lot located on East Conant Street.

"We have heard from people all over the city who want to help people experiencing homelessness,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “We are grateful to everyone who has donated items to our drop-off locations, and now we are making it even easier to go all in by visiting our convenient donation drive thru. You load your trunk with needed items, and we will take care of the rest. Thank you all for making a difference.”

Donations received during the event will be distributed at the MSC to people experiencing homelessness and will also be available to local partner organizations to distribute.

“There’s a lot of people in need of everyday essentials,” said Health and Human Services Director Kelly Colopy. “This drive can really make a difference in providing people with warm clothing, food, pet care supplies, flashlights and chargers, and even house-warming gifts.”

People interested in contributing to the drive are encouraged to do so by donating any of the following needed items:

• 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. It’s a meaningful way to get youth involved in helping the community.
• Food items like canned food, bottled drinks like juices or water, 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 Multi-Service Center (MSC). To schedule a drop-off time, people can call 562.570.4586.

Long Beach donors interested in donating large/heavy items or items of significant quantities can request a donation pick up by completing the large donation pickup request form. Upon submission of the form, a City staff member will review the item(s) for donation and will be in contact within five business days.

In February, the City launched a donation drive to collect a variety of essential physical items to provide to people experiencing homelessness. To learn about more ways to get involved, click here. 

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 will be available at the drive.

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.