It is often said you can match a person’s heart with their home—and if one were to take the home of partners Kraig Lopez and Ernie Rodriguez, the adage reaches a tangible point.
After all, their living room is beautifully decked-to-the-halls—holiday pillows, a tree sitting center at their front window for passersby, an array of candles to give off the aromatics of pine and cinnamon—all of which Ernie eagerly admits he lacks the patience to wait Nordstrom-style until Thanksgiving to decorate.
This impatience, of course, is not a ploy to make the holidays go year-round in some strange conspiracy to play off people’s emotions and their wallets (yes, I’m lookin’ at you, Black Friday Consumer who tramples over people to—oh, the irony—give gifts to other people). It isn’t even some awkward performance to tune out the realities of the world around us. In fact, it is entirely the contrary, as this impatience is their testament to what they believe the holidays are all about: that old belief that we must—at least once a year—care for our brethren.
Proof of this lies in their kitchen, where bags of non-perishable goods are spread out across the floor, waiting to be packaged together and given out to local homeless through the couple’s Sacks of Life project.
Traversing from the let-it-snow glimmer of their living room to their kitchen, one comes across a strew of bags filled with water, small boxes of juice, pretzels, cheese’n’cracker packages, and an array of other goodies spread themselves from wall-to-wall. A chalkboard sitting above mass of food and gifts shows a list of what they have.
The flip-side, of course, shows the saddening assumption that someone with a heart HAS a home, showcasing the dark and truthful notion that in many cases, homeless are treated as inhuman when brought face-to-face with the epidemic.
Ernie Rodriguez (left) and Kraig Lopez (right) stand before their collection of food and gifts to give away.
Homelessness also overwhelms Ernie and Kraig but, much to the opposite of common society, it doesn’t debilitate them as much as it motivates them. And, least once a year, they attempt provide as many people as possible with a meal and a gift during the season.
“I have 251 drinks but I would like have about 600 drinks—if possible,” Kraig said, absent-mindedly scanning the bags. “I mean, a case of water will knock out 24 for about two-dollars and ninety-nine cents. And then, umm—”
“Candy canes,” Ernie chimes in.
“I need more candy canes, don’t I?” Kraig ponders, before frenetically switching to his other needs. “I need teenage boy gifts. There’s three families living in one little room in a motel off PCH and… Well, y’know, up there. And [our neighbors Betty and Stanley] go up there on Christmas and give out gifts. Oh, and pet supplies,” he tangents. “Everyone forgets there are homeless pets attached to homeless people.”
He smiles, as does Ernie. And their smiles are not whoa-poor-me-and-the-world smiles but reflective smiles, the ones we all give when thinking of a beautiful moment where our actions made someone else smile in return. This deep-seated sense of gratification and purpose drives their operation.
Having moved here from Costa Mesa in 2009, the couple have always helped those less fortunate.
“We would, every year, hand out maybe 25 meals [in Costa Mesa] during the holiday at soup kitchens or what not,” explained Kraig. “It wasn’t until we got to Long Beach that—what? We gave out 20 or 30?” he asked Ernie.
“That’s just when we noticed there were a lot more homeless here,” Ernie said. “We were just… Behind this orange curtain. When we moved here, I remember telling Kraig, ‘Wow, you don’t really see what life’s about in Orange County until you get out of it.’ And even I was surprised: walking the street and out of the corner of your eye you see someone homeless or semi-homeless—and they’re hungry.”
As with all who migrate to Long Beach, Kraig and Ernie began meandering and exploring their neighborhood and discovered allies in their mission: Betty and Stanley from Betty’s Antiques on Broadway (their last names are not mentioned due to their deep involvement with the homeless). Inspired by the pair’s empathy for the less fortunate—Betty and Stanley know, by name, well over a hundred homeless humans, most of whom stop at their store for shelter, food, or even help with reading a document they were given—Kraig and Ernie felt the need to up the ante, opting to make over a hundred Sacks for Life, as they call it, last year.
“And… It just felt good,” Kraig said. “So good that I’m not gonna stop doing it. Not at least until I die.”
That sense of contribution to the world has not withered their efforts, where this year they have decided to push towards hundreds more Sacks for Life, in addition to gifts to be handed out to senior citizens and homeless or in-transition families across Long Beach. In order to fulfill their own goal, they thought what many would: approach corporate America. After all, their needs were small, with a request for a box of Twinkies here and a proposal for an assortment of chips there.
They were entirely rejected.
Hostess, Frito-Lay and Kellog’s all gave denials, with Kraig being prompted to post their letters online.
“It’s only the middle class and the poor that help each other,” he said on Facebook, showcasing a picture of a letter he received from Kellog’s. “Today I received my third denial letter. This denial letter was from Kellogg’s. The most sad part is I only asked for one case not thousands or hundreds.”
The couple was even denied by Maruchan Ramen for a single, 30-pack case of top ramen instant noodles—a market cost of less than $20 on the high end.
“It’s really the everyday person who is making this happen,” said Ernie, who pointed out Kraig’s continual show of gratitude towards the average Long Beacher who has donated by posting a picture of what they donated with a thanks.
Sylvia Cisneros. David Christy and Todd from Florida. Angel Camacho. Greg Zwetow. Anna and Mike Monroe. Andrea and Mike Buckley. Ryan Thomas Murray. Ken and Katt Stanford. Adrianna Cisneros. Felipe Echerri. Robert Turner and Gary Sincock. Baback Bijarchi. Joseph Kenyon. Katy Keough from Redding. Melissa Archuleta. Dee Mae.
These are the names—though perhaps not familiar—that have helped Ernie and Kraig, in pairing with Betty and Stanley, get closer towards their goal.
And though they are not quite finished, they don’t lack a belief that they’ll get there.
“It’s Long Beach—it’s gotta big heart. We’ll finish and it will only be because the average person said, ‘Here ya go,'” nonchalantly said Kraig.
If only he knew that those people, as well as that him and his partner, are far from average.
From December 4 through the 7, they will be accepting donations of fresh fruit and fresh bread.
The Falcon Bar, located at 1435 East Broadway, will be hosting a fundraiser for Sacks for Life this Saturday, November 24. A Blu-Ray disc player along with other prizes will be offered in a raffle drawing.
To donate to Sacks of Life directly, contact Kraig Lopez at 562-346-4511 or email at [email protected] or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/SacksForLife.