About Us
Established in 2004, Help Me Help You is a 501(c)(3) community-based non-profit organization dedicated to uplifting homeless and low-income individuals/families by increasing access to food, public benefits, and economic security as well as providing Social Security Benefits enrollment assistance to the public.
Every week, Help Me Help You improves the lives of more than 1,000 residents in need.
Help Me Help You appreciates your support to continue to provide these life-changing services to our community.
Jerome Washington, Founder of Help Me Help You
Seventeen years ago, one man’s desire to feed and transform the lives of the homeless in California lead to the establishment of the nonprofit, Help Me Help You. Jerome Washington is a retired UAW member and Boeing Aircraft airplane mechanic with a personal commitment to fight hunger, reduce homelessness and improve the overall health and well-being of our community via Help Me Help You.
Located in Long Beach, CA, Help Me Help You started with a mission to feed, motivate and transition homeless individuals from lives of poverty to self-sufficiency. Initially the nonprofit offered weekly food pantry services and financial literacy classes. As a result of its successful hands-on approach, dedication to making a difference, and increasing community needs, Help Me Help You has grown to forge integral community partnerships and expand its services to provide targeted solutions with a nationwide reach. Fast forward to today, Help Me Help you now serves more than 52,000 residents annually through the following programs:
Food Pantries: provides free fresh and packaged groceries via 10 food pantries (6 school and community locations) to more than 48,500 residents in need.
Long Beach Food Pantry Delivery: free weekly home-delivered groceries with recipes to 500 seniors in need.
Benefits Access Support: nationwide social security claims enrollment. 100% growth with 320 claims awarded in 2021.
CalFresh: free enrollment assistance and updates for 500 new enrollments in 2021.
General Relief: free enrollment assistance with a growth of 170% in successful enrollments in 2021.
Medi-Cal: free enrollment assistance. An increase of 140% successful enrollments in 2021.
Nutrition Knights Healthy Habits: new program providing awareness for elementary school children on healthy eating and living habits. More than 16,500 children received our free nutritious groceries.
Unite Us: partnership with a national leading care coordination platform connecting healthcare and social service providers to measure the impact of services to improve health outcomes for individuals and the community.
Wellness Education & Resources – provides information on credit recovery, healthy wellness practices, and links to essential community resources.
Meet the Benefits Access Support Advocates
With over 15 years combined Social Security Benefits claims experience, our expert multi-lingual advocates (English & Spanish speaking) go above and beyond to do all the work for you and to ensure the best outcome.
Board Members
Moussa Bocoume, PhD
USC Professor
Jeanette Ayala, EdD
HR Director
Jevita Haley
Clinical Supervisor, Davita
Trisha Mann
Journalist/Motivational Speaker/Actress
Yulandria Pearson
Credit Union CEO, RET
George Roberts
President, United Properties & Holding
Jerome Washington
Boeing Aircraft, RET
(ex-officio)
Zina Washington
Executive Director(ex-officio)
(Not related to Jerome Washington)
Partners
Help Me Help You relies on a large community of valuable partners to meet our mission and collectively service client's needs. We are co-located at the City of Long Beach's Multi-Service Center (MSC).
The Multi-Service Center (MSC) - Operated by the City of Long Beach Homeless Services Division, is designed to provide one-stop access to resources for individuals and families experiencing homelessness within the City of Long Beach. The MSC serves as the centralized point of entry for homeless services city-wide. The center houses a mixture of co-located public and private social service agencies that provide critical resources and housing linkages to Long Beach residents experiencing homelessness.
Some of our partners include:
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California Association of Food Banks
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Catholic Charities
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City of Long Beach
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Goodwill of Southern LA County
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Harbor Interfaith
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Long Beach Rescue Mission
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MHA-LA, The Village
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South Bay Coalition to End Homelessness
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The Children's Clinic
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US Vets and more
We are members of Long Beach Continuum of Care, Coordinated Entry System, and South Bay Collation to End Homelessness.
Values, Ethics and Guidelines for Behavior
Help Me Help You, as a public charitable organization, has a responsibility to society. As stewards of such;
Help Me Help You is committed to the ethical use of information and funds.
Help Me Help You will use absolute discretion and confidentiality regarding sensitive information.
Help Me Help You will develop strong links with other, educational institutions, agencies, and community groups.
Help Me Help You is intent upon building a reputation on the fundamental principles of honesty, integrity, and reliability. Our business practices and reflect the importance we attach to these principles. We strive to maintain high standards of ethical behavior when interacting with the community, sponsorship partners, funders, business partners, and suppliers. Help Me Help You also expects these high standards of those who represent the organization.
Help Me Help You is an equal opportunity provider and employer.