Category: News

Wavemax Laundromat in Long Beach had a busy start to their free laundry event on Feb 17.

From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the first 150 people to arrive received a voucher for a maximum of 6 loads of free laundry along with soap, softener, and snacks. 

Over 40 people arrived within the first hour, and more than 350 loads of laundry were completed by the end of the day.

During the event patrons were offered flyers with information for other basic support needs, such as free wifi hotspots, technical support and local food pantries scattered all around the Los Angeles County area.

Participants learned about this resource through multiple avenues of advertising, both online and in person, like Instagram and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Wavemax owner Melissa Doupounce has teamed up with multiple nonprofit organizations as well as our campus’s basic needs department to make this event happen.

Emily Kazim, who previously served as an LBECI program manager, will take over the position effective immediately.

The Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion — a community development corporation that works to create more inclusive economic and wealth-building opportunities throughout the city — has hired a new permanent executive director after a monthslong search, the organization announced on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Emily Kazim, who worked as the Life Family Center’s director prior to joining the LBCEI as a Food Support Program manager, will take over the organization’s helm effective immediately.

As executive director, Kazim will act as the LBCEI’s chief spokesperson and community liaison with a focus on bolstering entrepreneurship, small business support, workforce and youth development, affordable housing and homeownership, and economic resiliency for Long Beach residents from all walks of life.

Over the last thee years, LBCEI has provided basic needs to 4,500 households per month through partnerships with various agencies, the press release said — and has directed more than $1 million a year back to residents, small businesses and partner organizations. Last year, for example, the LBCEI launched a Black Wealth Initiative that helped more than 140 Black households embark on the path to first-time homeownership.

I grew up in Long Beach surrounded by gang violence, substance abuse and mental health issues. 

At my sister’s 10th birthday party, we were confined inside because there was a gang doing an initiation outside in the alley.  

At 15, one of my close friends was shot on a Sunday afternoon. Another one of my friends passed away from overdosing on fentanyl.  

Another friend was killed in front of his home. My brother’s best friend was murdered walking out of a liquor store, over mistaken identity.  

I know a student who was homeless, and most nights, he would walk around the city until the school campus opened.  

One thing that is clear to me is that as a community we are hurting. It is a different kind of hurt when you look at childhood photos and the people in them are no longer here. I love Long Beach; this is where I come from. But this city has also taken so much from me and the families around me that for a long time I did not know what to do.  

It took me five years to transfer from LBCC to Cal State Long Beach. It was hard because I did not know what I did to deserve my life or even the opportunities I had been given. I isolated myself from everyone I loved and cared about.  

I was angry at what the world had taken from me and my community. I was angry at what the world did not offer me and my community. I was angry because I knew that the community that we made together was created out of our need for survival and I hated it. We were not expected to thrive like other people. Just surviving was good enough.  

As I go to classes, I often think about how people like me do not go here. There might be Long Beach students here, but the majority do not know what I have gone through. The handful of people from my community that I do know at this school, of course, major in community-centered fields. I think to myself how lucky I am to be here and how I must finish to prove to everyone that someone with my background can make something of herself.  

In April of 2022, I got an email regarding a paid internship opportunity to do something within the local community with College Corps. I want to be a lawyer that helps with crime, juvenile reform, and policy and I was unaware of how competitive law school is.  

I knew that my resume and academic record were weak and an internship in my community would be perfect. I would be able to learn about what the community needs while making lifelong connections and honestly a reference for law school.  

I was lucky enough to be chosen by the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion (LBCEI). I started working at LBCEI in September and I can honestly say that it has changed my world. This organization operates on the needs of the community, and I learned that very fast.  

Emily Kazim, my supervisor, and Jeff Williams, then-executive director of LBCEI (now the director of Community Engagement in Mayor Richardson’s office) are the most amazing and caring people. 

I’m not treated like a student intern who is just here to complete her hours. I’m treated like an equal and my opinion is taken into consideration with everything we do.  

I have had the perfect balance of the fun, community-facing side of things with community events and pantry work, but also administrative work that is equally important, although it may not be as fun. Emily talks positively about me in rooms that I am not even in, and where I come from, that speaks volumes. 

Shortly after the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion (LBCEI) formed last March, it found itself in the middle of efforts to help those suffering in the coronavirus pandemic.

One of LBCEI’s primary efforts was support of food pantries, particularly in the central, west and north parts of Long Beach. Building on those efforts, LBCEI last week announced creation of the Food Support Network.

Since April 2020, LBCEI and its food pantry and neighborhood partners have served more than 1,500 households each week by providing food staples, according to a release. The distribution system gradually evolved through grant funding for equipment and creation of a Food Hub at Vice Mayor and Ninth District Councilman Rex Richardson’s field office at 6509 Gundry Ave.

Rather than try to reinvent a distribution system, LBCEI reached out to area churches and nonprofits already serving those in need, according to Julie Lie, LBCEI food network manager. Partnerships with Long Beach Food Finders (the food recovery nonprofit) and the LA Regional Food Bank significantly increased the amount and variety of food available.

In addition to the Food Hub, a grant from the Long Beach Community Foundation was used to buy refrigerators and freezers to increase storage capacity. That in turn allowed LBCEI to buy 20,000 pounds of frozen chicken to distribute over time, according to the release.

“LBCEI’s Food Hub has allowed us to be more intentional and increase the efficiency of available food resources,” Lie said in a release. “This centralized approach has really improved the operations of the food pantries to better meet the needs in their communities.”

Today, the Food Hub receives, repackages and coordinates delivery of 15,000 pounds of food boxes every other week.

The newly formalized Food Support Network includes nine churches and nonprofits as well as two neighborhood associations — AOC7 and the Collins Neighborhood Association. The neighborhood associations coordinate one-day food distribution events and the nine pantry partners get LBCEI food deliveries on a staggered schedule. A multilingual flyer letting people know when and where food is available is distributed in neighborhoods, as well.

Another plus of the network, Lie said, is the ability to distribute other needed material and information. For example, the network was used to give out more than 250 laptops and hot spots from the city. Hygiene kits and other non-food items (think toilet paper) have been given out as well.

After a successful partnership with Leadership Long Beach during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, LBCEI has set up a weekly donation collection — go to lbcei.org/help-food-support-network/ for more.

LBCEI is funded by the city of Long Beach and Wells Fargo Bank, along with grants from multiple sources, including CARES Act grants through the city. For more information about donating or volunteering, go to lbcei.org.

Original Source

Local food pantries and neighborhood groups have teamed up under the guidance of the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion (LBCEI) to form the Long Beach Food Support Network, with the goal of distributing free food to low income residents of Long Beach.

When creating the Long Beach Food Support Network, the LBCEI contacted nonprofits and churches that were already feeding those in low income communities in Long Beach. Some food pantries in the network have been active in the community for years, according to a press release by LBCEI.

After the coronavirus pandemic arrived in March 2020, many people faced economic insecurity and had difficulties affording groceries. Since April 2020, the food pantries and neighborhood groups currently involved in the Long Beach Food Support Network have been providing food to a total of over 1,500 households weekly.

“We are grateful to our food partners who have joined together to help provide for those most in need in our underserved communities of North, Central and West Long Beach,” LBCEI Board Chair Bob Cabeza said.

Nine food pantries and two neighborhood associations have joined the Long Beach Food Support Network. The LBCEI worked with food pantries to plan a staggered schedule and distributed multi-lingual fliers throughout low income communities in the city to inform residents about when and where they can pick up free food throughout the week.

The two participating neighborhood groups, AOC7 and Collins Neighborhood, also hold single-day food distribution events.

To help provide groups involved in the network with food to distribute, the LBCEI has partnered with the Long Beach based food recovery nonprofit Food Finders and the L.A. Regional Food Bank.

In order to store the increased supply of food before it is distributed through the nonprofits and neighborhood groups, Vice Mayor Rex Richardson created the LBCEI Food Hub at his field office in North Long Beach. A grant from the Long Beach Community Foundation paid for freezers and refrigerators so the food pantries could hold more groceries.

The Food Hub now receives and distributes 15,000 pounds of food in boxes every two weeks. Recently, LBCEI bought 20,000 pounds of frozen chicken, which will be distributed weekly to Long Beach Food Support Network partners.

“LBCEI’s Food Hub has allowed us to be more intentional and increase the efficiency of available food resources,” Julie Lie, LBCEI Food Network Manager, said. “This centralized approach has really improved the operations of the food pantries to better meet the needs in their communities.”

The City of Long Beach has also granted LBCEI several CARES Act grants, with a recent grant being used to buy fresh produce, animal protein and dairy products.

Food pantries and neighborhood groups involved in the Long Beach Food Support Network are also used to disseminate other important resources, including 250 free laptops and wifi hotspots as part of the City of Long Beach’s Digital Inclusion efforts, financial literacy information and COVID safety information. The network is also assisting in COVID vaccine roll out efforts.

LBCEI also partnered with Leadership Long Beach during the MLK Day of Service in January to collect hygiene kits and non food items needed by community members assisted by the food pantries. After an online campaign, the project collected 300 care packages, 500 pounds of food and paper products and more than $1,500 for the Long Beach Food Support Network.

Due to the success of this fundraising project, LBCEI is now accepting donations weekly on Mondays.

More information, a list of items that are needed for donation, drop off times and locations of Long Beach Food Support Network partners can be found on LBCEI’s website.

Besides funding from the City, LBCEI receives financial support from the Long Beach Community Foundation, HOPE Foundation, United Way, Supervisor Janice Hahn and more.

Original Source

Organic Harvest Gardens in North Long Beach is a pleasant surprise when you visit it. Tucked behind two apartment buildings off of Atlantic Avenue and up against the 91 Freeway, organic fresh crops are taking root and sprouting hope. 

PalacioMagazine.com and the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion (LBCEI) have partnered to produce a series of video stories on LBCEI’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

LBCEI partnered with Organic Harvest Gardens (OHG) to provide delivery of fresh, local, organic produce to over 300 homebound seniors.  The following video features OHG co-founder Rod Dodd and was produced in partnership with Antonio Ruiz of PalacioMagazine.com 

More on Organic Harvest Gardens

(From their website: organicharvestgardens.com) 

“At Organic Harvest Gardens, we are two University of California Certified Master Gardeners, who head up a team of committed and passionate organic vegetable gardeners, farmers and general landscapers. With over 25 years of collective experience in organic vegetable gardening and landscaping, you can rest assure that you are in capable and professional hands. 

Rod, Master Gardener and our Director of Farm/Garden Design. Rod is a retired Staff Research Associate/Animal Resource Manager for USC, UCLA and the Veterans Administration. He is also a trained world traveled professional Chef, specializing in all types of cuisine, with an emphasis on Organic cooking. 

Adam, a highly-skilled Master Gardener, has an extensive background in horticulture, garden centers, retail nurseries, and private/commercial estates. He is a Certified Irrigation Repair Technician from Irrigator Technical Training School, as well as, the Long Beach Chapter President. 
We, at Organic Harvest Gardens, are zealous and dedicated in assisting you in your desire to live a greener lifestyle. We make it our priority to hold every client in high esteem, from the smallest to the largest. It is our goal to design, build, and maintain the garden that you deserve, from handcrafted garden beds to the very best nutritional and flavor-packed veggies you could never purchase from the grocery store.” 

Source: https://palaciomagazine.com/organic-harvest-gardens-feeding-people-building-community/

Connecting to the internet became an even greater challenge for Long Beach parents and students with the Covid-19 pandemic and the move to remote education. Families faced difficult choices: access technology to help bridge the digital divide or watch their children fall behind. The Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion (LBCEI) took on the challenge of a world of remote education. As they describe on their website, “The Long Beach community, especially those most vulnerable, will fall behind without access to technology.” The consequences are that this will result in an even greater divide in “…the inequitable distribution of resources across the city.”  

LBCEI rushed in to help.

They partnered with Long Beach-based human-I-T to distribute refurbished laptops to families and students in North, Central, and West Long Beach. The laptops went to students of the YMCA’s Early Childhood Education and Youth Institute programs, Long Beach City College students and families served by local nonprofits, including United Cambodian Community and Long Beach Day Nursery. 

PalacioMagazine.com partnered with the Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion to document the impact on the YMCA’s Early Childhood Education and Youth Institute program and the students they serve.

Long Beach City College also took part in the distribution and documented it.  

Source: https://palaciomagazine.com/connecting-our-children-to-the-future-the-laptop-giveaway/

The Long Beach Center for Economic Inclusion is hosting a drive-thru food giveaway for residents struggling with food insecurity near Ramona Park next week.– ADVERTISEMENT –

The event is will take place on Aug. 29 from 9 to 11 a.m. at 3301 E. 65th St.

Montserrat Pineda is a University of Redlands student who is collecting food donations and putting the event together.

“Accessibility is important to me,” she said in a statement. “I’m excited to bring food resources to my own community during such a difficult time.”

The organization is hoping to feed 100 families living in the area.

People interested in volunteering during the event can sign up by clicking here.

Source: https://lbpost.com/news/youth-led-food-giveaway-coming-to-ramona-park-in-north-long-beach