It was standing room only—and not much room to stand—at the Gaslamp Sunday night, as hundreds of people packed the restaurant’s cavernous indoor space to view an episode of the television show Secret Millionaire featuring three Long Beach-based charities.

“We apologize that we’re not able to seat everybody and that we’re not able to feed everybody,” said owner Vicenzo Loverso from the venue’s stage minutes before the 8 p.m. screening. “We invite you to come back when it’s not so crazy. We have plenty of really good food and really good service. Just not tonight.”

The charities featured in the Secret Millionaire episode were New Hope Grief, whose mission is “to help grieving people find hope and healing”; Shoestring City Ranch, which “provides free & low cost rural experiences to city kids while teaching teamwork, respect, and leadership skills in an ecologically friendly green-space working with rescued animals”; and Love in the Mirror, the brainchild of 9-year-old Jonas Corona that “strives to meet the needs of underprivileged and homeless children, while at the same time [helping them] gain the ability to develop self-esteem and learn great leadership skills.”

Among those on hand for the viewing were Councilmembers Suja Lowenthal, James Johnson, and Steven Neal. Also in attendance was Everloop.com co-founder Hilary Decesare, the “secret millionaire” herself. Decesare doled out a total of $140,000 to the three charities, though she insisted that they had done much more for her than she for them.

The full episode of Secret Millionaire can be viewed by following this link. To read about Decesare’s and Love in the Mirror’s reflections their experience together, go here.

Vice-Mayor Suja Lowenthal addresses a packed Gaslamp, as “secret millionare” Hilary Decesare looks on.