A donation of 8,000 books, toys and other items on Friday, May 7, increased the number of gifts the local tourism bureau has received for the migrant children staying at the Long Beach Convention Center to more than 28,000 — with more than half of that coming within 48 hours.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has three locations in the city, dropped off that major donation to the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau Friday afternoon. Local congregants had reached out for help to the church’s Salt Lake City headquarters, which sets aside funds specifically for humanitarian causes, and the religious organization responded with aid, said Nate Fernley, a leading member of the Long Beach area churches. The thousands of donations included coloring books, crayons and Spanish-language activity books, mostly for elementary aged children. An Orange County nonprofit also donated more than 2,000 items Friday.
“Humanitarian efforts are a priority of the church,” said Long Beach City Auditor Laura Doud, a church member who helped organize the drop-off. “This is a great effort and opportunity to help these children that are in need at this time.”
The Convention Center opened as a temporary shelter for migrant children last month amid a surge of minors crossing the Southern border to escape violence and poverty in Central America.
The shelter, operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, can house up to 1,000 children and is mostly being used for girls who are at least 5 years old. But HHS officials have said the agency will cap the number at 800 to monitor coronavirus cases.
As of Friday, there were 725 unaccompanied children at the Convention Center, which will remain a migrant shelter until Aug. 2. More than 20 children have been reunified with families or sponsors, Andreas Frank, special assistant to the site for HHS, said in an email.
Throughout the early weeks of the shelter operation, federal and local officials have sought to ensure the children have all of the amenities needed to be comfortable — including toys and books.
And the community has responded. Samantha Mehlinger, spokeswoman for Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a Friday afternoon email that donations will easily top 30,000 — and called that a conservative estimate.
“This comes from our church, but it’s really a community effort,” Fernley said of the major Friday donation. “We’re so grateful to be a part of a community that cares about those around them.”
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donate what’s called “fast offerings” once a month that are used for people around the world who need assistance immediately.
“The church has been a huge supporter for so many events,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said Friday. “All of this goes straight to the kids, so it’s wonderful that we have had such a strong response from our community.”
But the Long Beach congregation wasn’t the only one to drop off a large donation Friday.
Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan, alongside Orange County nonprofit Team Kids, donated more than 2,000 books, in both English and Spanish.
“This is a regional issue that we all can pitch in to help,” Khan said.
“A couple of days ago, we did a call out to see if we can get donations together,” the mayor added, “and Team Kids did a call out of their own, and we were able to get this together for today.”
Folks can continue dropping off new toys and books at the Terrace Theater, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Monetary donations can be made through Long Beach Community Foundation’s Migrant Children Support Fund at longbeachcf.org/donate/migrant-children-support-fund.
“I can tell you that HHS is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support we have received from the Long Beach community,” Zhan Caplan, the federal agency’s onsite spokesman, said in an email. “On behalf of HHS, thank you Long Beach!”
