Twentynine Palms Residents Step Up to Feed the Unsheltered
Local group seeks to expand their pool of volunteers
By Laura Hauther
On Monday, March 25, a group of more than 20 people packed Black Cactus’s small meeting room to listen to Geoffrey Preston’s call to action to feed Twentynine Palms’ unsheltered population. Preston is looking to grow his fledgling organization, 25:35, a reference to a biblical passage in the Book of Matthew about helping those in need.
If you live in California, chances are you’ve encountered the state’s unhoused population. Our state has 12% of the country’s population and 28% of its unhoused, with 10,000 added to that number between 2022 and 2023, according to The San Francisco Standard. This gives California the dubious distinction of having the largest unhoused population in the country.
It has proved to be an intractable problem, with very little agreement on possible solutions, as demonstrated by the razor-thin margin of victory for Proposition 1, Governor Newsom’s latest effort to combat the issue.
Prop 1 will boost California’s investment in housing and substance abuse programs, but for the unsheltered and the communities they live in, a possible future solution doesn’t address issues like hunger and basic needs people face daily.
Some people, like Preston, prefer to take a direct action approach to support the immediate needs of the unsheltered members of his community. Preston started out buying food to distribute from local fast-food restaurants, but when that became too expensive, he started buying groceries and preparing meals at home to bring to a local encampment.
Unstable living conditions make feeding an unhoused population challenging. Preston was able to win the trust of the encampment near the post office on Mesquite Avenue, but when the property owner evicted the group, they scattered throughout the city. Now Preston has to drive around to find the people from the encampment wherever they’ve managed to find a place to settle.
Preston is looking to add his small group of three volunteers who have joined him so far: Matt and Kathy Green and Jenlynn Laughlin. In just three months, 25:35 has distributed more than 140 meals.
Preston said, “Home-cooked meals cost about $6. If we get 8-10 volunteers willing to spend about $100 a month, we can consistently feed the people in our community.”
Seven more people signed up for food distribution at the meeting.
Eight people attended the first meeting Preston held with the help of City Council member Octavious Scott. Monday’s meeting pulled in nearly three times that number, ready to get involved and throw out ideas on how to best help out with food and eventually other basic services like showers, toilets, laundry, and bus passes.
When the discussion turned to the need to ensure food safety, LaVickie Patterson, 41, a former Marine food and nutrition specialist, offered to give a class on safe food preparation, handling, and transportation.
Patterson said this is a personal mission for her: “It’s important to show people we care about them, no matter what their circumstances.”
As part of that plan, Patterson said she’ll attend a Black Cactus grant-writing meeting on April 3 to explore funding more food service options and possibly other basic services for the unhoused.
If you’re interested in volunteering, the next meeting will be held at Black Cactus, 6259 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, on April 8 at 5:30 pm.
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We lived thete back in 1967-1969. Stationed on base. There were no homeless there then. What a shame that the base and Marine Corps won't get behind your efforts.