Less than 50% of residents in certain North, Central and West Long Beach ZIP codes have been vaccinated against COVID-19, raising concerns among health experts and community members alike as a more contagious delta strain of the virus is becoming more prevalent.
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The 90805 zip code in North Long Beach, which is home to over 95,000 residents, and the 90813 ZIP code spanning from West to Central Long Beach including Cambodia Town, remain below a 50% vaccination rate, according to the city’s vaccine data portal.
Citywide, 56.2% of all residents have been vaccinated, but it more well resourced areas such as East Long Beach’s 90815 ZIP code the total is near 70%.
A pop-up marketplace led by a local chef took over St. Lucy Catholic Church in West Long Beach Sunday afternoon as vendors sold food and other goods to raise money for Asian organizations amid a recent increase of anti-Asian hate crimes in other parts of the country.
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Chef Janice Dig Cabaysa asked vendors to volunteer their time or their goods to not only support the organizations that work in the Asian communities but because she’s personally felt the emotional weight of the recent trend in anti-Asian violence.
“I decided to do a pop-up because I need to cook my way out of this depression,” Cabaysa said.
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After serving in the Korean War, Tom Armijo moved from a tiny town in New Mexico to Long Beach in the 1950s with the dream of finding a good job and buying a home for his growing family.
He found a modest two-bedroom on Baltic Avenue just west of the Los Angeles River in a blue-collar Westside neighborhood and went to work as a plumber for the city of Long Beach. He eventually was able to buy his parents a home on the same street, and then purchased another one just blocks away that he repaired and rented to his sister.
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We published a list of places to get help in Long Beach for those affected by the pandemic in May and since then, we’ve heard from dozens of residents who use and share our list regularly.
Now that we’re hitting another wave of COVID-19 cases and more businesses are shut down, we’ve updated this list and made sure these services are still being offered.
Here’s a quick guide to some local nonprofits and the services they provide.
If you’re looking for ways to help, most of these organizations are looking for donations and volunteers. Contact them to see how you can get involved.