Long Beach LGBTQ Center to distribute free Thanksgiving meals

The Long Beach LGBTQ Center will host a Giving Thanks meal distribution next week for the community.

Meals will be available Nov. 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and  distributed in The Center’s parking lot behind the building.

In an effort to ensure everyone receives a Thanksgiving meal and no food goes to waste, the Center requires everyone to sign-up for a timeslot to pick up a free meal.

One meal person.

Here are the meal options.

• Baked chicken with macaroni and cheese, Southern greens, and green beans
• Smoked brisket with macaroni and cheese, Southern greens, and green beans
• Vegetarian option with grilled vegetable medley.

The center will be closed from Thanksgiving to Nov. 27. 

It will reopen Nov. 28.

The center began in 1977 as living room gatherings to discuss issues important to the LGBTQ community. The center was officially incorporated in 1980 as One in Long Beach, Inc. and has been providing a variety of health, social, advocacy, legal, and service programs to the LGBTQ community in the greater Long Beach area for more than four decades.

In 1985, through the bequests of several individuals who died of HIV and AIDS, The center purchased a 7500 square-foot building near Fourth Street and Cherry Avenue. The building was renovated and opened in 1986 as the agency’s new home..

Today, the center serves more than 25,000 people a year and include an array of services: support groups, workshops and seminars, youth services, free HIV and STI testing, legal assistance, domestic violence services, employment referrals, mental health counseling, cultural and social activities, the QFilms Festival, educational forums, and a thriving volunteer program with an active database of more than 300 volunteers.

The Center provides meeting space for more than 20 community groups each month.

It also participates in a number of advisory and community groups, including the 4th Street Business Association.