Labor Day Weekend may seem early to start thinking about Turkey Day.
But the Long Beach Basket Brigade is getting a head start on plans to deliver food baskets to 600 needy families on Nov. 21, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Food Finders, churches and other helping organizations will identify families in need of a free meal. Then the Basket Brigade's volunteers will deliver laundry baskets full of food to the homes.
Recipients are not told who is giving them the food, says Jeff Livesay, 41, who started the annual effort with his wife, Kym Livesay, 39.
"This basket comes to you from someone who cares," states a card placed in each basket. "All we ask is that someday, when you are able, you help someone else."
The idea behind the anonymous gifts is to emphasize the act of giving, not the giver, says Kym Livesay.
Inside the baskets are a gift card for a turkey at Ralph's, corn, stuffing, cranberry sauce and other fixings.
"Everything's useful," Kym Livesay says, adding that even the basket is meant to be reused for laundry.
The Livesays, who live in Eastside not far from Cal State Long Beach, started the Long Beach Basket Brigade in 2005 after four years of participating in a similar effort in Orange County.
They were inspired after hearing motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins talk about his efforts to feed the needy.
"Then we just decided we should do our own in Long Beach," Kym Livesay recalls. "We agreed to start it right here on this couch with about five people."
Now a committee of five and about 40 volunteers operate the organization.
Each basket costs about $40 to assemble, so the goal is to raise $24,000 this year's effort, Jeff Livesay says.
The organization recently qualified for non-profit status. Donations to the Basket Brigade are tax-deductible.
Aside from a handful of sponsors -- Starbucks provides coffee for volunteers, Christ Lutheran Church donates space to assemble the baskets and S&M Moving lends delivery trucks and D&E Casino in Lakewood provides the gaming tables for fundraisers -- the money for the effort comes from donations and fundraisers.
The Basket Brigade's upcoming fund-raiser, a Texas hold'em and bunco tournament, will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Jewish Community Center, 3801 E. Willow St.
There is a $50 buy-in for poker and a $20 entry fee for bunco. Prices include appetizers, beer, wine, soda and water. There are prizes for the top four winners, as well as a 5/50 raffle drawing and a silent auction.
For more information, visit www.LongBeachBasketBrigade.org, write kym@LongBeachBasketBrigade.org or call 562-900-3574. The group is also on Facebook.
