Department of
Health & Human Services

Long Beach, CA – On Saturday, Aug. 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the City of Long Beach will host its sixth donation drive thru to collect essential items to distribute to people experiencing homelessness in Long Beach. The event will take place at the Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) Main Facilities Center, located at 2525 Grand Ave. Donations received during the event will be distributed at the Multi-Service Center (MSC) to people experiencing homelessness and will also be available to local partner organizations to distribute.

“Last month, we had an incredible turn out – receiving nearly 3,000 items graciously provided by our community,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “We hope to build upon that success again this month so we can continue to distribute essential items like clothing, hygiene kits, food and water, and sun protection items to people experiencing homelessness.”

Sun and heat protection items such as sunscreen, hats, protective sunshades/umbrellas, lip balm, cooling towels and reusable water bottles remain in need as the hot summer weather continues. The City welcomes any of the following items for contribution:

• Hygiene kits or house-warming gift kits from the Multi-Service Center Amazon Wish List.
• Backpacks filled with needed items such as hand warmers, flashlights, battery packs, batteries (usually D batteries), emergency blankets and charging cables.
• Pet care kits with things like pet food, treats, collars, leashes, pet toys or collapsible pet bowls.
• S, M, L, XL or XXL sweatpants, shirts, socks and men’s and women’s underwear, beanies, scarves, caps, hoodies, towels or blankets. Gently used items are appreciated, too.
• Welcome home kits with some of the suggested items above and a special hand-written motivating message to go in the kit.
• Food items like canned food (and small, manual can openers), bottled drinks like juices or water, and snacks such as granola bars or power bars, instant oatmeal and instant soup.

While gift cards will not be accepted at the drive thru event, they can be donated at the MSC. To schedule a drop-off time, people can call 562.570.4586.

Since launching donation efforts in late February 2023, the City has collected over 17,400 items generously donated by community members, including nearly 10,000 items during the City’s first five donation drive thru events and over 7,400 items from drop-off bins and donations contributed through other avenues. More than half of these items have been distributed to the MSC and community organizations.

Local organizations that support people experiencing homelessness and are interested in receiving donations to support their organization’s mission are encouraged to submit a donation request form based on their charitable outreach needs.

More information on how community members can get involved is available on the Volunteer, Donate and Get Involved tab at longbeach.gov/homelessness.

The City does not represent or warrant that any donations made to the City are tax deductible. Donors are encouraged to work with their tax professional. Receipts of donations are available at all drop off locations.

For more information on the City’s efforts to reduce homelessness in Long Beach, people may visit longbeach.gov/homelessness and follow @lbhealthdept and @longbeachcity on social media and follow the hashtag #EveryoneHomeLB.