By Dianne Anderson

Having lost one son to a massive heart attack, and another within five years to a drive-by shooting, community outreach wasn’t at the top of Coronada King Haywood’s mind the day she was called.

She had been stuck in the depths of despair, sitting on the couch until one day she heard the still small voice.

“Get up and reach out, somebody needs you. I started reaching out when there was a victim of crime and I would leave a donation. Then, my sister told me about feeding the children in the summer,” she said.

Since then, she has also lost her husband to illness and a brother. Somehow, she has worked through the pain to transform her mission in life, and serving hundreds each month.

King Haywood, founder of the nonprofit Women in Action Reaching Out, doesn’t need studies to show the level of need in the community, how elderly women, and women of color, are among the fastest growing populations facing food and housing insecurity.

She sees it every Wednesday.

They come out on walkers, they wait in line for food they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford, and they have no transportation to the store, even if they had the money. From the time King Haywood started outreach in 2012, she said the increase has grown every year.

Groceries, meats, canned goods, produce, fresh vegetables, beans and rice, are enough to last the week.

“It’s something to be able to have a meal and not have to worry about trying to get to the grocery store by themselves. A lot of seniors don’t have transportation and knowing that they don’t have to pay for it means a lot to them,” she said.

When she first started the program, it was small meals and snacks for little kids and teens in the park, with several small sites around Carmelitos public housing community. High schoolers helped with distribution and they received a stipend.

It wasn’t much, but they appreciated it.

“Year after year, those same young people, some were going to college, would come back and volunteer. We just kept it going that way, it’s been very successful. We picked up three YMCA after-school programs and snacks. It also helps the YMCA,” she said.

King Haywood has worked in public, private and adult education since the early 1970s with Lynwood School District, and 16 years with Long Beach Unified School District.

Over time, she trained with the Department of Education Nutrition Services and located a local facility to set up outreach. Today, her programs are partly sponsored by the DOE, along with her weekly food distribution. Soon, she is preparing for her summer food programs.

Most of all, she considers herself a go-to for information, helping provide social service connections for moms, the elderly and families around the city for whatever they may need.

“I have resources and friends with degrees in drug counseling and mental health, I am ordained in my church and received a certificate in counseling. It’s a broad range. My life is no longer my life, but it belongs to the people. I live my life for the people, this is what keeps me going.”

Also around town, the Long Beach Commission for Women and Girls is inviting the community to partner in their outreach to help women address pay equity, education, job opportunities, and overall gender equality in light of recent federal budget cuts to DEI programs.

Samantha Mehlinger said the commission was created by city ordinance, approved by Long Beach City Council, and outlines their directives and responsibilities.

In the meantime, they want to support progress for local women and girls. Last October, the Commission adopted two short-term goals, one for a mentorship program to empower women and girls to access economic opportunities, and another focused on building healthy families and empowering women and girls.

She said the Commission has established committees to reach out to community organizations, nonprofits, government agencies or departments, especially to identify potential recommendations that they can make to city council.

They are also now pushing for a report on human trafficking in dialogue with the Task Force to inform future recommendations because it is a key issue impacting women and girls in Long Beach.

Although their effort is still in the early stages, she said they are connecting with local programs, such as WomenShelter Long Beach, Long Beach Human Trafficking Center, Jenesse Center of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Commission for Women, Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office, among others.

There is always room for more.

She said the priority stays focused on policy recommendations for programs and practices to ensure equal rights and opportunities for all genders.

Early on with this federal administration, she said a lot is being done to dismantle equitable opportunities and resources for minorities, immigrants, women, trans, gender-nonconforming individuals, and many at-risk and underserved communities.

“As Chair, I plan to agendize an item at our upcoming meeting so that the Commission can begin to discuss and evaluate how these changes might impact women and girls in Long Beach, what their needs might be, and what we can recommend to address them,” said Samantha Mehlinger, Chair, Long Beach Commission for Women & Girls.

To help with Women In Action Reaching Out, contact womeninactionreachingout@yahoo.com

For community projects or programs aligned with the Commission, and want to partner or present, contact Equity Officer Alanah Grant at alanah.grant@longbeach.gov