by Noella Noelophile®
You’ve probably heard it as you run errands, head for work or class, or even just take a walk.
“Excuse me, could you help me out with a dollar?”
Knowing how to react is hard. We think, “there but for the grace of God”. But, is giving money to a homeless person compassionate and helpful? Or enabling? And what can we do about homelessness in Long Beach?
On Monday evening, January 30th, Justin Rudd’s Community Action Team will provide some answers.
They’re hosting a Compassionate Town Hall Meeting, at Bay Shore Church in Long Beach. They’ll have twenty-one speakers from Long Beach agencies. Each gets between five and seven minutes to speak. And they’ll tell you what’s currently being done in Long Beach, to help the homeless, and how you can help.
Speakers will include Steve Be Cotte, President of Long Beach Area Coalition for the Homeless; Page Pelonis, founder of City Heart; and Brenda Threatt, Executive Director of U.S. VETS–Long Beach. Attendees will get a chance to meet and interact with the speakers both before and after the meeting.
Admission is free for the meeting, which is scheduled for 7 to 9 pm. You’re asked to consider bringing a pair of new socks, to donate to Justin Rudd’s “Sock It to ‘Em” sock drive for the homeless. Their goal is to have collected 14,000 pairs of socks by January 31st.
Community Action Team’s “Compassionate Town Hall: Homelessness in Long Beach” happens Monday evening, January 30th, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Bay Shore Church, 5100 East The Toledo, at Granada Avenue, in Long Beach. Here’s the link for more information.