Help Me Help You Helps More Than Ever Before

Long Beach, California – local nonprofit Help Me Help You, continued to help feed more residents suffering with food insecurity and access essential community services than ever before in 2024. Despite the increasing rates of food insecurity, continued hikes in food prices and cost of living, as well as cuts in funding for services, Help Me Help You continued to support more vulnerable residents in 2024 by feeding approximately 66,000 residents, an additional 3,000 from the previous year. Their services also helped to transition lives to self-sufficiency.  

According to a USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences study in October 2024, 25% of L.A. County households, approximately 832,000, are challenged with food insecurity compared to the national average of 14%. Furthermore, among low-income households in L.A. County, 41% experienced food insecurity in 2024, compared to 27% pre-pandemic.

Families are often faced with not having enough to eat, missing meals, and being forced to choose between buying food or paying for other essential living expenses. Food insecurity is associated with poor health status, developmental risks, mental health problems, and poor educational outcomes.

Help Me Help You, a community-based non-profit organization, co-located at the City of Long Beach's Multi-Service Center, continued to help more by providing homeless and low-income residents access to free food, public benefits, and economic security. Approximately, 65,000 residents, including children, seniors, disabled, families, single mothers, and veterans received free fresh and packaged groceries via 10 Long Beach grocery grab n go locations as well as Long Beach Food Pantry Delivery service. While over 1,000 new clients received access to community service benefits to include Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and General Relief. Help Me Help You also offers free referral to housing and support services as well as free online health education classes. These free services reduce community hunger and poverty, improve nutrition and health, and boost family economic security.  

"It's evident that the persistent high cost of living particularly affects our most vulnerable Long Beach, CA residents and continues to flare the food insecurity crisis.

However, despite the growing demand and limited resources, Help Me Help You proved it remains determined to feed more residents in need and combat food insecurity in Long Beach", said Zina Washington, Executive Director, Help Me Help You.

Even the most resilient can be affected by food insecurity.  To access these free life-saving services that can transform your life from hunger to self-sufficiency visit: www.helpmehelpu.org/services or help feed a neighbor in need make a tax-deductible donation at www.helpmehelpu.org/donate-now.  

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