Long Beach Love.

A couple weeks ago a group of us met up on the California shoreline to show our unhoused Long Beach neighbors some love. This was our 3rd care package handout occasion since the inception of LIFF. June 10th, 2000 was Dominic’s earthly birthday, so we planned this affair right around this time. Any bereaved parent may understand that these milestone dates can be quite heavy. Being with family and friends that share a common purpose during these tough times really helps soothe the weight of Dominic’s physical absence. Extending a hand to those in need also helps me get out of the pity party in my own head and puts life into proper perspective; every moment is a gift, what shall I sow?

There were seven of us whom gathered on the sand of Gaucho Beach under the shade of the palm trees. The weather was near perfect with temps in the mid seventies, a gentle ocean breeze, and plenty of sunshine. The week prior to our meetup, the bright idea of alerting the local Long Beach newspapers of our plans landed in my mind. To my surprise, a reporter from the Long Beach Post actually replied to my email and called me. He showed up on the beach too, interviewed me briefly, then tagged along with us for a little while as we handed out care packages. We were able to serve folks along the bike path, Marina green park, and the shoreline village area’s. We also dropped a couple bags off at Orizaba Skate Park, in hopes someone in need would find them. The park was pretty empty when we rolled through. Feel free to read the article John wrote up on our service project right here: LB Post Article.

Driving through the city while we were down there really opened my eyes to how much Long Beach has changed since I lived there. The homeless population seems to have grown quite a bit since 2020. In fact, I did some research and this theory proves true. In 2020, according to the point-in-time count, there were 2,034 people experiencing homelessness in the area. That same count in 2025 grew to 3,595; an increase of 1,561 people. That last word being the highlight…PEOPLE. I can’t help but wonder, what will the count show for 2026? And, what about the son or daughter that just walked out of rehab last week, yesterday, or today and has no place to go? Who’s counting them? What about the guy who was passed out in the alley and simply wasn’t found during the official count? Who’s counting him? Circumstances are always shifting, so the numbers can’t always keep up with reality.

With all that being said, it’s clear that Long Beach needs more attention. We will be heading back on November 7th, this time serving out bags to people closer to the pier and Belmont shore area’s. All the specifics are laid out on the Service Project page if you’d like to join us on our mission. We’ve already received several anonymous donations of goods from our Amazon wishlist. THANK YOU to all those who saw the LB Post article and took the time to donate. We also received quite a few messages from folks in the Long Beach area who want to join the front lines with us. It only seems like a natural step to visit Long Beach one more time this year. Perhaps we can make a small, but meaningful difference in those 2026 homeless count numbers?

Here are a few snapshots from our June 7th, 2026 visit. Another giant THANK YOU to all those who put in the foot work, donated goods, shared our page, or even said a prayer for us. ;) I’m already looking forward to November. <3