With commemorations of Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and National Community Action Month, May is a momentous time to honor those that have positively impacted the lives of many, and a time to take community action to continue to support those in need. With the support of partners like Long Beach Community Action Partnership (Long Beach CAP), Help Me Help You has been working to meet the increased food needs in our Long Beach community by providing food pantry/grocery grab n go and food pantry delivery services to our most vulnerable. See how you can utilize these free life-changing services and how you can take action to give back to your community.
OUR IN-NEED COMMUNITY FACTS
In California, more than 8 million (1 in 5) residents face food insecurity. These rates are highest for single mother households and households with incomes below the poverty line. In Long Beach, 22.8% of residents live at or below the U.S. Federal Poverty Guidelines. with 32.8% of children under age 5 and 33% of children aged 5-17 living in poverty. This is significantly higher than the national rate of 15.1%. More than 3,900 veterans are homeless in Los Angeles, the largest concentration in the U.S (KCRW.com/news, Dec 2021). A study by Mathematica Policy Research found that a person with a persistent work-limiting disability would require more than two and half times the income of an able-bodied person to have the same likelihood of food insecurity. Furthermore, 13% of seniors aged 60 and over suffer from food insecurity and face hunger.
HMHY COMMUNITY ACTION
Since January 2002, Help Me Help You (HMHY) a 501(c)(3) community-based nonprofit organization has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the most vulnerable individuals and families in need by increasing access to food, public benefits, economic security, and social security benefits. HMHY provides essential services to more than 53,000 individuals annually, focusing on seniors; children; single mothers; disabled individuals; veterans; and the homeless. These services work to reduce hunger and poverty, improve nutrition and health, boost family economic security, as well as motivate and transition residents from lives of poverty to self-sufficiency. HMHY also measures the impact of services to improve health outcomes for individuals and the community at large.
Each week, HMHY works with the community to provide free fresh and packaged groceries on at least two different days via 4 rotating Grocery Grab N Go locations in targeted Long Beach areas. To ensure all in need feel welcome, these food services are offered via five school locations, 4 community locations, and a free home-delivery service for Cesar Chavez Elementary school families and neighbors (commencing June 1st, 2022). Additionally, every week, more than 500 seniors also receive free groceries home-delivered via Long Beach Food Pantry Delivery (LBFPD). All grocery bags are filled with nutritious foods purchased from Foodbank of Southern California and Food Forward. They include proteins; carbohydrates; dairy; fruit and vegetables; cereals, and more.
HOW TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY ACTION
In 2021, HMHY provided over 160,000 weekly groceries bags to those that need it most. These services are made possible with community support from partners like Long Beach CAP, No Kid Hungry, Kaiser Permanente, individual donations, and more. “Together we have expanded & launched new programs, adding value to the in-need community of Los Angeles. Together we can continue to facilitate change for the better”, affirms Zina Washington, Co-founder & Executive Director, Help Me Help You. If as the saying goes, “It takes a tribe to raise a child”, then it takes “Community Action” to conquer hunger in our Long Beach, community. There are numerous ways you can “Help Me Help You” to support community action to improve the lives of those in need by; individual donations, volunteering, joining a rewards program, fundraising, becoming a community partner by donating food and more. For more information, please visit www.helpmehelpu.org or call 562 612-5001.
Opmerkingen