As the holiday season quickly approaches, the Grunion Gazette and Long Beach Press-Telegram are once again teaming up with WomenShelter of Long Beach to help make the season bright for victims of domestic violence and their families.

This year marks the 22nd iteration of the Grunion Gazette Gift Card Drive, which was launched by the Grunion’s longtime former editor — and current “Pinch of Salt” columnist, Harry Saltzgaver. Since its establishment in 2004, Saltzgaver has carried on the community tradition each year.

And it’s no different this time around.

“I have been overwhelmed by our readers’ generosity over the years of the Gazette Gift Card Drive for WomenShelter of Long Beach. I am counting on them to come through again — if anything, the need is greater than ever,” Saltzgaver said. “Just thinking of these victims of domestic violence struggling during the season when we should be happiest prompts an urge to help. Thanks in advance to all the donors who make a difference.”

The Gift Card Drive, over the past two decades, has raised around $350,000 for survivors of domestic violence and their families, including a record-breaking total of $46,852 donated during the 2023 campaign.

Though the campaign didn’t quite reach its ambitious $50,000 goal in 2024 — with readers generously sending in $30,000 worth of gift cards and other donations — we’re excited to once again tap into Long Beach’s community spirit this year.

WSLB has served as a crucial resource for people experiencing domestic violence for decades.

It was established in 1977 by Dr. Virginia Corbett after she noticed there wasn’t a safe place for people who’d left violent relationships to relocate to in Long Beach or the greater Southern California region.

Corbett opened an 11-bed supportive housing facility that year specifically for women and children leaving abusive situations — one of the first of its kind in Southern California. Years later, WSLB relocated and opened a larger supportive housing facility. The building, which is still in operation today, houses 31 beds.

During the 1980s and ’90s, the nonprofit’s website said, WSLB continued expanding its services, and began offering counseling and support groups.

And in 1999, after branching off from the YWCA — which it had been a part of since its founding — WSLB opened its community-based Domestic Violence Resource Center.

The center, according to WSLB, was the first of its kind in the Greater Long Beach area.

WSLB now offers a comprehensive suite of services for domestic violence survivors, including safe housing, emergency shelter, a 24-hour crisis hotline, counseling, legal advocacy and more.

More than 14,000 people use WSLB’s services each year, according to the nonprofit’s executive director and CEO Kent Wallace-Meggs, including its emergency shelter, youth programs, counseling, support services, and hotline.

The need for services like those WSLB offers, it seems, continues to grow each year — as low-income families face ever-increasing economic pressures, housing challenges, and more. The past year, Wallace-Meggs added, has been a challenging one for WSLB as it navigates and prepares for potential impacts from ongoing federal funding changes.

“Like many nonprofits across the country, 2025 has brought both opportunity and challenge. We haven’t been directly impacted by government funding reduction, but changes in the broader funding environment keep us mindful and adaptable so we can continue providing uninterrupted support to survivors,” he said.

But those concerns haven’t stopped WSLB from serving the people who need it most. The organization, for example, is working on building out new transitional housing to expand its ability to support domestic violence survivors who have lost their housing due to abuse.

That’s where the generosity of our readers, who contribute to the Gift Card Drive, really shines. Donated gift cards will be distributed to survivors who have left their abusers, many of whom have been forced to leave behind their homes, their belongings, and their everyday sense of normalcy.

“Many come to us after experiencing significant trauma and financial control, often with very little. Gift cards provide something that traditional donations can’t: choice,” Wallace-Meggs said. “That freedom, the ability to buy groceries, pick up a small gift for a child, or purchase essential household items, restores a sense of dignity at a time when people are rebuilding every part of their lives.”

That freedom is even more impactful during the holidays, as it allows parents to help their children and families experience a sense of joy during the season — which their circumstances, otherwise, might not allow.

“Your gift card donation changes lives. It’s not just a card; it’s dignity, stability, and hope. You’re not just donating; you are helping a survivor take the next step toward safety and independence,” Wallace-Meggs said. “Your generosity provides real, practical support and sends a powerful message to families who are hurting: you are seen, you are valued, and this community cares. Every gift card, no matter the amount, directly helps someone begin again.”

And since gift cards collected during this holiday drive are distributed throughout the year, even after the campaign ends — your donation can make a real difference in someone’s life far beyond the holidays.

There’s more: This year, those who donate $50 or more in cash or gift cards will be entered into a drawing for a table of 10 at the Long Beach Symphony’s “Sounds of Laurel Canyon” Pops concert on March 21, 2026.

“Our organization is so excited about supporting the stronger-then-ever Gift Card Drive, initiated by Harry Saltzgaver and the Grunion Gazette more than two decades ago,” said Tom Bray, senior editor of the Los Angeles County publications for Southern California News Group. “This is such a creative — and easy — way for our readers to support such a vital cause.”

And this year, we’ve done our best to make donating easier than ever before. As always, donations of gift cards or cash can be sent to WomenShelter’s Resource Center, 4201 Long Beach Boulevard, Ste. 102, or mailed to P.O. Box 17098, Long Beach, CA 90807. There’s also an option to donate online at womenshelterlb.org.

Donations, this year, can also be made to drop-boxes at the following locations:

Belmont Shore Optometric, 5219 2nd St.
Dainty Disco, 3972 Atlantic Ave.
LB Swag, 5304 2nd St.

Drop-offs can be made during each store’s regular business hours.

This year’s Gift Card Drive will run through Sunday, Dec. 14 — and we sure hope you’ll consider helping us make the holidays bright for those who truly need it.