In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 19, hundreds of volunteers participated in service projects across Long Beach.
Leadership Long Beach, a nonprofit that works to better the city and people more engaged in civics, continued its commitment to activating the community through meaningful service and initiatives on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Cristian Martinez, 16, and Abigail Lee, 15, dislodge a large nylon bag from the peninsula jetty during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. The cleanup, led by Algalita, hosted about 150 volunteers and yielded trash ranging from a hypodermic needle, Nike sweatpants, and large plastic items. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tyion Robinson with Algalita, carefully handles a hypodermic needle that was found wedged in rocks on Long Beach Peninsula by children volunteering in Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Brooks Heard hustles over sand dunes on his way to the beach to pick up trash during the 17th annual Leadership Long Beach MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Charmaine Morales hands her sister, Helani Godinez, trash she picks up on Long Beach Peninsula during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Crystal Cadle sifts through the sand as she looks for microplastics while her son, Amadi, 3, plays nearby. She and her wife, Monique Cadle were volunteering during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kamaria Askew, 16, left, and Zhania Broughton, 14, laugh when they identify material pulled from the ocean as Nike sweatpants, during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Dozens of volunteers pick up trash on the Long Beach Peninsula during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Teresa Vallejo and her children Izabella, 5, left, and Victoria, 7, pick up trash on Long Beach Peninsula during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A hypodermic needle, discovered by teenage volunteers, is wedged between rocks on Long Beach Peninsula during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. The needle was quickly handled and safely stored by the events host, Algalita, (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An apparently sick bird rests in the sand as people clean up the beach during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. Animal Control was called by volunteers. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Lisa Lee and her two children with Scouting Troop 2017 clean up the beach during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Dozens of volunteers pick up trash on the Long Beach Peninsula during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cristian Martinez, 16, left, reacts to the cold water as he and Samuel Lee, 14, play in the ocean after picking up trash from Long Beach Peninsula. They were taking part in Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
About 150 volunteers clean up the Long Beach Peninsula beach during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Cristian Martinez, 16, and Abigail Lee, 15, dislodge a large nylon bag from the peninsula jetty during Leadership Long Beach’s 17th annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 19, 2026. The cleanup, led by Algalita, hosted about 150 volunteers and yielded trash ranging from a hypodermic needle, Nike sweatpants, and large plastic items. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
This was the 17th annual MLK Day of Service that Leadership Long Beach has organized to honor the legacy of the civil rights icon. This year, there were 16 projects citywide on Monday that volunteers participated in, ranging from beautification and environmental restoration to community care and food support.
Along the Long Beach Peninsula, volunteers joined the Algalita Marine Research and Education team to help clean up trash from the city’s waterfront, while others joined Friends of MLK Park for a peace garden beautification project to help create a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere at the park named after the legendary leader.
Other projects included volunteers helping at LB Community Compost’s Willow Springs Park site to spread compost and mulch around fruit trees in the orchard; packing food bags for the Volunteer Center’s Food for kids program and stocking their local food pantry; a selection of neighborhood cleanups; planting trees in West Long Beach at Silverado Park; and serving lunch at the Long Beach Rescue Mission, among other community service projects.