Breaking News: Help Me Help You Hosts 5th Annual Free Healthy Habits Festival Across Six Schools

Long Beach, CA – Help Me Help You, a local nonprofit, is proud to present its 5th Annual

FREE Healthy Habits Festival, running from September 17 to October 10. This year’s festival is bigger than ever - serving more than 5,500 residents at six Long Beach school locations.

The month-long series of events encourages families and students to embrace healthy lifestyles while addressing food insecurity in the community. Attendees will enjoy free nutritious groceries, health and wellness resources, nutrition training, and giveaways from local wellness vendors.

Food insecurity remains a pressing issue in Long Beach and across California. According to the California Association of Food Banks, 1 in 5 Californians - about 8.8 million people struggle with access to nutritious food, with families in the greater Los Angeles area experiencing some of the highest hunger rates in the region. For children, this lack of access can significantly impact health, learning, and long-term outcomes.

“Despite cuts in funding, Help Me Help You remains committed to fighting food insecurity in Long Beach,” said Zina Washington, Executive Director, Help Me Help You. “Through free weekly groceries, nutrition education, and enrollment in essential services, we’re helping our most vulnerable residents live healthier, more secure lives.”

Festival Highlights:

• Free fresh and packaged groceries for all attendees

• Goodie bags

• Wellness vendors at Stevenson, Oropeza, and Cesar Chavez Elementary Schools with complimentary snacks, gifts, vouchers, and samples

• Special programs for middle schoolers including take-home goodies

Participating Elementary Schools include: Whittier – Sept 17, Stevenson – Sept 19, Lincoln Sept 24, Oropeza – Sept 26, Cesar Chavez – Oct 1, and McKinley – Oct 10.

Participating Vendors include Beenies Circle of Unity Health Corner, California Benefits Support Center, County of Los Angeles- Department of Mental Health, Long Beach Community Resource Center, Molina Healthcare of California, and SCAN Health Plan.

This Nutrition Knights Healthy Habits Festival is presented by Help Me Help You with the support of Gold Sponsor Molina Healthcare of California, a managed care company providing Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace health coverage to low-income individuals and families.

Help Me Help You benefits more than 66,000 individuals annually - including children, families, seniors, veterans, and the homeless - through free grocery distribution, food pantry deliveries, and enrollment assistance for housing and essential community services.

For event details, visit helpmehelpu.org/services/festival. To make a tax-deductible donation in support of this event or Help Me Help You’s year-round food security programs, visit helpmehelpu.org/donate-now.