Better Balance For LB's Award-Winning "One Day Christmas Store, Shopping With Dignity" Brightens Holidays For Over 3,000 LB Area Residents

Today's event, which won national recognition earlier this year from Neighborhoods USA, transformed meeting rooms at downtown LB's First Congregational Church into a toy store, filled with items purchased by Better Balance using donations from individuals and businesses

A professional buyer, Paula Nathan, aggressively scoured wholesale sources to stretch donated dollars. She and her husband, Ron Nathan, plus Tom Stout, then loaded the goods onto two 24’ trucks and delivered them, helped unpack them and direct the set up (an incredible amount of volunteer work). Roughly 6,500 gifts were ready to distribute with a value of almost $200,000.

Better Balance for Long Beach event organizers, left to right: Annie Greenfeld-Wisner, Jack Smith, Jane Kelleher

The uplifting annual event now attracts volunteers from across the city. Among those attending was LB Mayor Bob Foster, whose wife Nancy has (from event's inception) played a key role in outreach and fundraising. Likewise present (and volunteering): Signal Hill Mayor Larry Forrester, LB City Prosecutor Doug Haubert and LB Sustainability Advisory Commissioner (and 4th dist. City Council candidate) Daryl Supernaw.

In May 2011 (as previously reported by LBReport.com), the "One Day Christmas Store" earned Better Balance for Long Beach national honors, named Neighborhood of the Year by Neighborhoods USA. The group's work has also received plaudits from U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the CA Assembly, L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe and the City of Long Beach.

Roughly 300 volunteers wearing green and red Christmas caps took part in this year's event.

Sign-in table, staffed by Dianne McNinch and Linda Ivers

Annie Greenfeld-Wisner is among Better Balance volunteers greeting shoppers.

Santa Claus caucuses with Sustainability Advisory Commission member Daryl Supernaw

Who's the Santa?

It's Dan Pressburg

As children exit, they're also given the opportunity to select two brand new books from a cache of thousands, a project overseen by Michelle Molina (below).

First Lady Nancy Foster aims her camera for just the right shot.

There's no pushing or shoving; families are given appointment times.

Families are escorted in; grown-ups choose gifts for their children; children go into a separate "shopping" area to choose gifts for grown-ups.

The items are then taken to a volunteer-staffed wrapping station, where they're swiftly gift-wrapped and given a Christmas ribbon.

And since families will be carrying packages, LB's Yellow Cab co-op offers free taxi rides home.