Storms don’t just rearrange the weather.
They rearrange the shoreline, and someone has to deal with what washes up. This fall, volunteers from LBS Financial Credit Union did exactly that along the Long Beach coast, where trash from Hurricane Marie had piled up on the sand.
Working with the City of Long Beach’s Adopt-A-Beach program, the Credit Union hosted two clean-ups in September and October 2026. In total, 32 volunteers turned out: employees, their families, and their friends. They combed through the sand, the parking lot, the pedestrian pathway, and the outdoor roller area at Junipero Beach.
This isn’t a one-off for the team. LBS Financial has adopted its stretch of coastline for more than 15 years, covering the area between 14th Place and 19th Place off Ocean Blvd. Fifteen years of showing up adds up to a lot of familiarity with what the beach throws back at you.
This round, the haul was long and strangely specific:
- Alcohol bottles and aluminum cans
- Bottle caps and empty water bottles
- Cigar wrappers and cigarette butts
- Fast food paper bags, napkins, and packaging labels
- Plastic bags, Styrofoam, and utensils
- Permanent markers and zip ties
- Assorted articles of clothing
Think of it as an accidental time capsule of a few weeks of beach life, with a storm’s worth of extras thrown in. Much of it was small, light, and easy to miss, which is exactly why it travels so easily into the water.
Employee volunteer Whitney Meinders said the timing made the effort count. “It was especially beneficial for us to help with cleaning up the beach because an abundant amount of trash came in from Hurricane Marie,” she said. “It was great for us to get together and make any impact we could.”
That last part is worth borrowing. You don’t need a big team or a perfect plan to help your own local beach. The Adopt-A-Beach program gives Long Beach residents a way to join in, whether you bring a crew from work or just a few friends and a pair of gloves. Even one Saturday morning clears a surprising amount of sand.