Sure Helpline helps feed Slabbers
NILAND — Sure Helpline Crisis Center employees and volunteers on Tuesday helped distribute food, clothing and other basic necessities to the less fortunate in Slab City.
The outing marked the third time in as many years that the non-profit has collected food and other items to distribute to Slab City residents.
In each instance, the number of collected items has grown along with the number of participants, which this year included county Behavioral Health Services and Public Health Department representatives.
The donated items were a welcome relief for 21-year-old “Pebblez” Spalding, who has been residing at the Slabs since early June.
“Some months I’ve had enough food,” Spalding said. “I’ve also had months where I’ve had to go beg people for food.”
Despite the challenges of living in an area that is void of most basic amenities, Spalding said the place appeals to her sense of independence. She currently resides in a broken-down trailer with her pet dog.
The Indiana native said she had been prompted to visit the Slabs about two years ago after hearing about it on YouTube and being encouraged by her mother to go.
“I love it,” she said. “It’s heaven.”
As seasonal residents of the Slabs for the past five years, Leisha Allen said she and her family have settled in well enough among the drifters, free spirits, snowbirds and artisans who also make the area their home.
A string of bad luck had brought Allen, her husband, and their two children to the area from the East Coast about six years ago.
When the local temperatures get too high, the family will pile into their pickup truck and tow their trailer to cooler climes. However, unexpected engine trouble forced them to spend the summer in Barstow this year.
“We had a rough time this summer,” Allen said.
Throughout their travels, they have also come to rely on the generosity of the people they encounter to help them through the hard spells, she said.
The idea to provide food and other essential items to Slab City residents was initially prompted by Sure Helpline staff members located at its satellite office in Calipatria.
Those staffers would often encounter Slabbers, many of them new to the area, who were not aware of the additional resources available elsewhere in the county, said Jazmin Bueno, community outreach and lead coordinator.
Besides offering Slab City residents referrals to additional agencies and organizations, staff decided to host a food drive to help address the community members’ food insecurity.
Since then, the organization has been successful in enlisting the assistance of its community partners, including the El Centro Public Library and Management and Training Corp, which operates the Imperial Regional Detention Facility.
On Tuesday, county Behavioral Health Services
representatives were on hand to discuss the agency’s available services and resources, while Public Health Department representatives were able to provide free flu shots.
Representatives of the Church of the Nazarene in El Centro brought Slabbers a warm meal and clothing, as well.