Once again using the uniting force that is food, the nonprofit We Love Long Beach is inviting residents to participate in the Citywide BBQ and Potluck this Saturday, April 16 from 3:00PM to 5:00PM.
The event is just one of the events We Love Long Beach organizes that encourages volunteers to welcome their neighbors into their yards in hopes of increasing neighborhood interaction and building bonds of trust. The event is being hosted on the heels of last year’s largest citywide ice cream social and neighbor breakfast.
“We Love Long Beach is strategic about having food at the center of our block-centered seasonal events,” said Scott Jones, We Love Long Beach executive director and co-founder. ”We believe food and community are inseparable. When our mouths are full, our ears are open to listen to our neighbor’s story and interests.”
Photo courtesy of the We Love Long Beach Facebook page.
This year, the non-profit expects 50 host locations across the city, ranging from the Bluff Heights to Hamilton neighborhoods, and from the Westside to El Dorado Park South. This marks the first time all nine City Council districts participate in a Citywide event, with the expected attendance nearing 1,000, according to a press release.
“I think the reason that We Love Long Beach is growing is because we are tapping into what residents in every neighborhood in Long Beach are looking for and that social media is not delivering,” Jones told the Post. “People in Long Beach long to belong, feel connected, and cared for. Neighbors want to feel safe and feel like they matter. Our events are creating that excuse for people to connect with others, and it’s working all over the city. We Love LB is becoming a movement where this sense of neighborliness is contagious.”
What began as one breakfast in Belmont Shore in 2008, gave birth to the neighborhood catalyst, We Love Long Beach. The non-profit has since organized events with the vision of “neighborliness.”
Events include February’s Citywide Breakfast, June’s Citywide Ice Cream Social and October’s Citywide Pumpkin Carving and Chili Party. This February, the Citywide Breakfast was hosted at over 100 locations around the city, Jones said.
The Citywide BBQ and Potluck is the fifth citywide event We Love Long Beach has organized in the past 12 months and the 10th since 2014.
“We view these citywide events as an easy on-ramp to new neighborhood relationships and endless possibilities,” said Jones. “I think some neighbors are apprehensive at first to host an event with their neighbors that are often complete strangers, but one thing we hear time and time again from our block leaders after their event is that they are glad they hosted and their lives are being changed by having the opportunity to get to know their neighbors.”
Neighbors participating in the event are encouraged to use the event hashtag #BBQLB on social media.
Individuals who wish to join the event can visit the We Love Long Beach Facebook page for information.