Residents of Long Beach help people all year through a variety of activities. Listed below are the results of some projects, as well as more opportunities to reach out to others.

Rick Rackers’ Operation School Bell has provided 1,545 Head Start preschoolers with backpacks, school uniforms and toothbrushes to help the children get off to a good start this fall. The backpacks were deliver to the 21 Head Start locations in Long Beach just before school ended in June, so that the children would have the materials when school resumes.

The Long Beach Poly Booster Club is hosting its inaugural football hall of fame dinner and silent auction at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday), at The Reef. Inductees include Sam Dimas, Earl McCullouch, Willie Brown, Gene Washington, Dee Andrews, Bill Jessup, Don Norford, Tony Hill, Mark Carrier, Marquez Pope and Brian Tuliau. Tickets are $50. Call 522-4533 or e-mail starrtnew@aol.com.

The July wine dinner benefiting Miller Children’s Hospital begins at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday) at The Sky Room. Gourmet dishes including cream of asparagus soup and salmon in puff pastry will be paired with a different French wine for each course. There are vegetarian options available as well. The entire menu is available on-line at www.theyskyroom.com. The price is $95 plus tax and tip. For reservations, call 983-2741. The Sky Room is located atop the Historic Breakers, 40 S. Locust Ave., just off Ocean Boulevard.

Ristorante daVinci is hosting a Summer Wine Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. More than 30 of the best international brands will be available for tasting. The event is a benefit for the Salvation Army KROC Core Community Center and will include raffle prizes, wine classes, aviation displays and more. Tickets are $50. Call 685-8111. Ristorante daVinci is at 2801 E. Spring St.

The Recreation Park Small Dog Park will be the beneficiary of a performance of “Beyond the Valley of the Flight Attendants: Beyond Retirement” at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26, at the Found Theatre, 599 Long Beach Blvd. All the money from ticket sales and concessions will go to support renovation and expansion of the dog park. The premise of the play is what happens after the Social Security eligibility age is raised to 85 and Super Saver Airlines has done away with retirement benefits. Tickets are $20. Call 901-1456.

The Long Beach Public Library Foundation is running an on-line auction which ends July 31. The foundation raises money to support literacy and education programs at the Long Beach libraries. Go to www.lbplf.cmarket.com.

The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer will receive 10% of the proceeds from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at The Kids are Alright and the Outfit at 3405 E. Broadway. Many items will be marked down and there will be a Designer Trunk Show with Jen Morgan of Jam Baby from 4 to 7 p.m. More information is available at www.theoutfitdigs.blogspot.com.

There will be family oriented classic car show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3 at Frisco’s Carhop, 12050 Woodruff Ave. in Downey. In addition to classic cars, there will be class bikes, music by “The Cholo DJ,” food, raffles and more. The event is a benefit for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s St Matthew Conference in Long Beach at its local outreach for families in need. To register cars and bikes, call (310) 713-0065.

Taste of the Coast, an event for adults and children, runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, at the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier. There will be food, drink, live music and activities just for children, too. Tickets at the door are $60 for adults and $15 for children younger than 12. Tickets bought in advance are $50 and $10. Call 233-4338 or go to www.lbkidsconnection.org. The event is a benefit for the Long Beach Kids Connection, which provides assistance for children in need in the greater Long Beach area.

The operators of the wine store Vin De Pays and the Drop-In-Center will present a wine tasting at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11, at the First Congregational Church. The Drop-In-Center provides a safe place for the homeless on Sundays between 12:30 and 4 p.m. when other agencies are closed, providing food, blankets and access to a computer lab for job searches. Tickets are $50. Call (714) 878-7673.First Congregational is at 211 Cedar Ave.

A 5K Run/Walk to raise scholarship funds for Cottonwood Leadership College takes place Friday, Aug. 15 at El Dorado Park. Registration begins at 4 p.m., the 5K starts at 6 p.m. and a 1K walk starts at 6:30 p.m. There will be entertainment, vendor booths and food and beverages. Cottonwood Leadership College is a program offered by Cottonwood Church at 4505 Katella Ave. in Cypress. To register or donate, go to www.Active.com (Cottonwood Leadership College.

The Long Beach Grand Cru wine and culinary experience runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, in Rainbow Lagoon Park. More than 1,000 wines will be available for tasting, along with live and silent auctions, music and more. The event is a benefit for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (serving Long Beach), which helps battered women, children, seniors and the disabled. Tickets are $160 before Aug. 8 and $180 after that date. Call (213) 640-3894 or go to www.longbeachgrandcru.com.

The Long Beach Junior Chamber is hosting its children’s shopping spree on Aug. 16 to help underprivileged children with basic school clothes and supplies. A volunteer is paired with a child for a shopping spree. The donation amount requested per child starts at $100. Call (949) 300-2589 or go to www.LBJuniorChamber.org.search.html">