Dear Friends and Partners,

We are proud to announce the opening of our new pantry at the Long Beach center, located at 1407 East 4th Street between Mission and Anderson Street. The new pantry will allow us to expand our Food For Kids program to serve more schools in the Long Beach and Wilmington communities where care is needed most. Established in 2009, Food For Kids has provided over 1.2 million meals to children and families in the South Bay and Long Beach communities.

Hunger in schools remains a silent epidemic. Over 13 million children in the U.S. lacked reli­able access to ade­quate food. This rate has risen near­ly 50% since 2021 and rep­re­sents an eight-year high. In Long Beach, 33% of the local population of kids 5-17 are living in poverty. We know food insecurity impacts concentration, memory, mood, and motor skills, all of which our children need to be successful in school. With your help, we can make a difference!

This expansion is a full-circle moment. The Volunteer Center was founded by the Junior Leagues of Long Beach in 1963 and has continued to evolve, mobilizing volunteers to meet the community's needs throughout the South Bay community. We have spent the last several months planning, and we are excited to announce a ribbon cutting that will take place on Thursday, November 7th @ 3 p.m.



We are grateful to Eric and Christine Alegria and Dianne and Hans Bozler for sponsoring our expansion efforts. We can't wait to unveil the new pantry in November and to engage a community of volunteers in Long Beach to reach students and families in need.

How to Get Involved

Sign-up to Volunteer

Organize a Food Donation Drive

Welcome Pam, Long Beach Coordinator

We are pleased to welcome Pamela Rima, MPH, as our new Program Coordinator in Long Beach.

Pam has an impressive background in coordinating and implementing community-based programs, particularly youth development and prevention initiatives. She has worked with the Orange County Department of Education as a Program Manager, developing, coordinating, and evaluating school and community-based programs. Pamela’s educational background includes a Master’s in Public Health from UCLA and a Bachelor’s in Psychology from UC Santa Barbara. We are delighted to have Pam on board and want to introduce her to the community through a few questions.

What drew you to the Volunteer Center?

I was drawn to working with the Volunteer Center for several reasons. First, I am passionate about community. I believe it is important to actively participate and contribute to your community because it builds a sense of belonging and support and provides tangible support for individuals and families.

Where are you from?

I grew up in Orange County and moved to Long Beach when I met my husband. Once I moved here, I never wanted to leave. Long Beach is an amazing city that provides a little bit of a big city feeling created by the puzzling together of unique neighborhoods. I am proud to be raising my kids in Long Beach.

Any hobbies or interests?

While I wouldn't call myself a surfer, I do surf, but not as often as I like. I came to the sport later in life after being a competitive gymnast in high school and a martial artist as a young adult. Fun fact: I actually passed my instructor test for Muay Thai kickboxing.

Please help us extend a warm welcome to Pam. You can also contact her directly to get involved in our Long Beach pantry efforts.

Congratulations to our first-ever summer cohort of Impact Makers. In a condensed 8-week format, 25 amazing teenagers took part in our program focusing on Identity Development, Leadership Skills, Community Awareness, and Wellness Support Resources. Furthermore, they applied what they learned by volunteering with various local nonprofits, contributing over 400 volunteer hours!

During the final ceremony, Student Charvi summarized it this way:

Over the past eight weeks, we embarked on a journey of growth, learning, and giving

back. Every Wednesday, we gathered to educate ourselves on various societal issues.

We delved into topics like food insecurity, homelessness, and privilege, and discovered

aspects of ourselves that we hadn't fully understood before—our strengths, our identity,

and our place in this world. We also learned about parts of our society that we might not

have thought much about before.

In addition to our weekly discussions, we volunteered at various sites to gain hands-on

experience and apply the skills we learned, such as empathy and allyship. This program

has truly opened up my horizons.

We were extremely proud to have representation from 15 different high schools:

Bishop Montgomery High School

California Academy of Math & Science

California Connections Academy

El Segundo High School

Lawandale High School

Leuzinger High School

Long Beach Polytechnic

Milikan High School

Mira Costa High School

North High School

Redondo Union High School

South High School

Torrance High School

West High School

Woodrow Wilson High

In-kind food donations delivered from June 2024 - September 2024



Donations can now be dropped off at our Torrance and Long Beach locations between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. For after-hours donations, please schedule a time with Jon or Pam at info@volcenter.org

Featured Donation Partner

Torrance Community Credit Union

Thank you to Torrance Bakery and Quinstar Technology

Torrance Bakery 40th

Our Old Town Torrance neighbors, Torrance Bakery, celebrated 40 years of baking excellence and selected the Volunteer Center as one of their causes for a Seven Days of Giving campaign. Proceeds from cookie sales were donated to support our mission.

Quinstar Technology

Thank you, Quinstar, for your continued partnership and service to the community. Over 20 volunteers came to create Stem kits and math tools for our Operation Teddy Bear literacy bags, we are excited OTB will serve over 5,000 students next spring.

Anonymous

in honor of all the children and families

Jean Adelsman

Barbazette Family Trust

Pauline Beecroft

Denise & Vince Beggs

Dianne & Hans Bozler

in loving memory of our nephew

Colin Tyler Arbuckle

Anne & Ray Destabelle

in honor of Dianne and Hans Bozler

Heather & Kevin Goyan

Sue Herbers

The Holt Family

Jane & Jim Isomoto

Mildred Jones

Laura Kauls

Susan Kettel

in honor of Richard Kettel

Ellen and Bob Kircher

Sherry Kramer

in honor of Lilyanna Kramer

Trish Krusee

in honor of Adam Heath

Cari Lesser

Sue Munson

Pamela Popovich

Liz Reinhardt

Susan Rubio

Fern Ruiz

Steve Yeager & Samuel Sampson

(Gifts Made in Support of VC Programs July 2024 - Sept 2024)

For 60 years, the Volunteer Center has been a vital and trusted partner mobilizing support for those in need throughout the South Bay, Harbor, and Long Beach communities. Our approach and programs have evolved as times have changed, but our focus on deeply rooted relationships and a spirit of cooperation has never wavered. We are still here today because of partners like you who volunteer with your time, in-kind, and monetary donations. To learn more about our programs and impact, visit volcenter.org