THE THANK YOU'S, THE TEARS OF APPRECIATION…
I THOUGHT I HAD WITNESSED TRUE HARDSHIP AFTER SANDY HIT THIS TOWN. BUT BACK THEN, THERE WAS MUCH WORK TO DO AND PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO GATHER AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER. BUSINESS OWNERS CLEANED OUT THEIR STORES AND WENT BACK TO WORK THE VERY NEXT DAY. NOW BUSINESSES ARE HANDCUFFED. THEY ARE TOLD, YOU CAN'T OPEN YOUR BUSINESS; YOU MUST SHUT DOWN. THE LOSS OF JOBS, THE ISOLATION, STUDENTS UNABLE TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME...
THIS PANDEMIC IS TAKING ITS TOLL AS LIVES ARE LOST, LOVED ONES ARE UNEMPLOYED, FIRST RESPONDERS ARE EXPERIENCING FATIGUE, AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS ARE COMPLETELY ISOLATED.
Tuesday was our biggest outreach yet. Michael Boninno, owner of Gold Medal Produce, teamed up with J Margiotta Company and Fresco Produce to assist The Long Beach Christmas Angel, Inc. They donated about 1 ton of fresh produce for LBCA to support our seniors citizens, unemployed residents, and nurses on the front lines that are working back-to-shifts, providing groceries for a healthy meal after a long day caring for patients.
We were also able to provide some produce to the Long Beach Soup Kitchen and Long Beach Martin Luther King Center for the guests they serve. A big thank you to Jodi Gusler Jeanine Sofield and her three boys Trey, Dylan and John; Hayden Sofield
Maureen Doherty Stephanie Vives Thornton Mary Christine Kennedy, Patsy Bradley and Commander Dan of Long Beach VFW Post 1384 for providing our distribution location. Thank you to Maris Leventhal-Lynch, Annabelle Yenna and Debora Ferrante for supplying bags for distribution.
When you drop off a box of fresh produce - and someone cries with gratitude - you know life is getting hard.
Sue Fragale Michael Ferrante Miguel Rodriguez Raymond Adams Bernard Valentin Melissa Barnett Joan Tallaksen Kaplan Jeanne Radin-Forkin Diane Cannon Skudin Elizabeth Betsy Liddel Glazer Project 11561
Click here to see more of what LBCA is doing to help Long Beach neighbors during the Pandemic 2020 crisis.
Every year we honor our neighbors who step in and help where it is needed.
Here is our opportunity to shine a light on their contributions.
Student Volunteers 2016
