The organization Celebration Nation is collecting donations of backpacks to give to the immigrant children held at the Long Beach Convention Center so they can carry their belongings with them when they are finally released to their families or sponsors.
“The babies need us they are just children, and it breaks my heart thinking about how their parents must feel during these times,” Flor Martinez, Cause-Leader of Celebration Nation, posted on Instagram.
The unaccompanied children at the facility were all discovered at the southern US border, and will be kept in federal custody until their relationships to identified family members or sponsors are confirmed.
“Once they are ready to go with their family or sponsors they will be needing backpacks to carry their things such as their pillow, clothes, personal items, etc. from the shelter,” Martinez wrote in her social media post.
The Long Beach Convention Center site held 710 children as of Wednesday, May 5.
“Community efforts are powerful, and if you have ever advocated or even just gave a [expletive] about the children who have been in cages, separated from their family, and the overall inhuman conditions they have faced during past administrations, this is the perfect opportunity to directly help these children,” Martinez wrote.
The backpacks can be mailed to or dropped off at 1919 Vineburn Ave., Unit E5, Los Angeles, CA, 90032. Monetary donations are not being accepted at this time.
