In the midst of a cold winter in Los Angeles, councilmember Al Austin is hosting Gener8 Kindness: A Warm Clothing Drive on Sunday, Jan. 16 in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Donations being accepted include warm hats, scarves, jackets, and blankets—both new and gently used, according to Lynette Johnson, Austin’s chief of staff.
Those who are looking to donate can do so at three different drop-off locations in Long Beach between noon and 2 p.m.
The locations are as follows:
- Family Faith Christian Center located at 5601 Orange Ave.
- Crossroads Church located at 1900 E South St.
- Expo Arts Center located at 4321 Atlantic Ave.
This event marks the second clothing drive hosted by the council member’s office, the first of which took place at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
“We wanted to do something more in the district around people experiencing homelessness,” Johnson said. “The weather in Long Beach is usually warmer but we’ve experienced cold lately, and so we were just concerned about the residents that are outside and don’t have access to warm clothing.”
According to weather.com, temperatures hit a low of 37 degrees in mid-December 2021, with a series of storms hitting Long Beach and surrounding areas on Dec. 22 and into the holiday weekend.
The 2020 Long Beach Point-In-Time Count accounted for 2,034 people experiencing homelessness in the city. Of those counted, only 22% were sheltered.
The bulk of the items dropped off on Sunday will be donated to Care Closet, a nonprofit based out of Long Beach that was founded in 2020 during the onset of the pandemic, according to its website.
Members of Care Closet will go around the city of Long Beach and distribute the donations, Johnson said.
“Our team is really energized in doing [the donation drive],” Johnson said, noting that serving the homeless population is one of the team’s priority areas. “We just got the accessory dwelling unit item passed, as far as looking toward housing individuals, creating housing in Long Beach.”
According to Johnson, a few relief events for spring are also in the planning stages. More information on those events will be forthcoming.
To coordinate a drop-off for the clothing drive, email district8@longbeach.gov.
