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.<\/p>\n
This year marks the 22nd iteration of the Grunion Gazette Gift Card Drive, which was launched by the Grunion\u2019s longtime former editor \u2014 and current \u201cPinch of Salt\u201d columnist, Harry Saltzgaver. Since its establishment in 2004, Saltzgaver has carried on the community tradition each year.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s no different this time around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been overwhelmed by our readers\u2019 generosity over the years of the Gazette Gift Card Drive for WomenShelter of Long Beach. I am counting on them to come through again \u2014 if anything, the need is greater than ever,\u201d Saltzgaver said. \u201cJust 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Though the campaign didn\u2019t quite reach its ambitious $50,000 goal in 2024 \u2014 with readers generously sending in $30,000 worth of gift cards and other donations \u2014 we\u2019re excited to once again tap into Long Beach\u2019s community spirit this year.<\/p>\n
WSLB has served as a crucial resource for people experiencing domestic violence for decades.<\/p>\n
It was established in 1977 by Dr. Virginia Corbett after she noticed there wasn\u2019t a safe place for people who\u2019d left violent relationships to relocate to in Long Beach or the greater Southern California region.<\/p>\n
Corbett opened an 11-bed supportive housing facility that year specifically for women and children leaving abusive situations \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
During the 1980s and \u201990s, the nonprofit\u2019s website said, WSLB continued expanding its services, and began offering counseling and support groups.<\/p>\n
And in 1999, after branching off from the YWCA \u2014 which it had been a part of since its founding \u2014 WSLB opened its community-based Domestic Violence Resource Center.<\/p>\n
The center, according to WSLB, was the first of its kind in the Greater Long Beach area.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
More than 14,000 people use WSLB\u2019s services each year, according to the nonprofit\u2019s executive director and CEO Kent Wallace-Meggs, including its emergency shelter, youth programs, counseling, support services, and hotline.<\/p>\n
The need for services like those WSLB offers, it seems, continues to grow each year \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike many nonprofits across the country, 2025 has brought both opportunity and challenge. We haven\u2019t 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But those concerns haven\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany come to us after experiencing significant trauma and financial control, often with very little. Gift cards provide something that traditional donations can\u2019t: choice,\u201d Wallace-Meggs said. \u201cThat 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 which their circumstances, otherwise, might not allow.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour gift card donation changes lives. It\u2019s not just a card; it\u2019s dignity, stability, and hope. You\u2019re not just donating; you are helping a survivor take the next step toward safety and independence,\u201d Wallace-Meggs said. \u201cYour 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
And since gift cards collected during this holiday drive are distributed throughout the year, even after the campaign ends \u2014 your donation can make a real difference in someone\u2019s life far beyond the holidays.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s 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\u2019s \u201cSounds of Laurel Canyon\u201d Pops concert on March 21, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur 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,\u201d said Tom Bray, senior editor of the Los Angeles County publications for Southern California News Group. \u201cThis is such a creative \u2014 and easy \u2014 way for our readers to support such a vital cause.\u201d<\/p>\n
And this year, we\u2019ve done our best to make donating easier than ever before. As always, donations of gift cards or cash can be sent to WomenShelter\u2019s Resource Center, 4201 Long Beach Boulevard, Ste. 102, or mailed to P.O. Box 17098, Long Beach, CA 90807. There\u2019s also an option to donate online at womenshelterlb.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Donations, this year, can also be made to drop-boxes at the following locations:<\/p>\n Belmont Shore Optometric, 5219 2nd St. Drop-offs can be made during each store\u2019s regular business hours.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s Gift Card Drive will run through Sunday, Dec. 14 \u2014 and we sure hope you\u2019ll consider helping us make the holidays bright for those who truly need it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the holiday season quickly approaches, the Grunion Gazette and Long Beach Press-Telegram are once again teaming up…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62519,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[7,3782,2646,23,131,133,132,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-62518","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-long-beach","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-grunion-kindness","10":"tag-holidays","11":"tag-local-news","12":"tag-long-beach","13":"tag-long-beach-headlines","14":"tag-long-beach-news","15":"tag-los-angeles-county"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nDainty Disco, 3972 Atlantic Ave.
\nLB Swag, 5304 2nd St.<\/p>\n