“I’m perfect! How are you?” greets Jim Grubbs, development director of The Volunteer Center of South Bay- Harbor-Long Beach, as he answers the phone. He’s perfect because he does something he strongly believes in and truly loves—and does it well. He runs the organization that is responsible for putting huge smiles on the faces of the neediest first graders in Long Beach and surrounding areas through the literacy program Operation Teddy Bear.

“Literacy is the key to success,” says Grubbs. “If we can help a child learn to read, we can have a profound impact on that child’s life. You need to be able to read to survive—it’s a fundamental skill.”

This nonprofit, volunteer endeavor promotes literacy through special backpacks. Before this year’s winter break begins, 3,000 first graders in the Long Beach Unified School District will receive a backpack containing 21 items, including a teddy bear, books donated by Molina Healthcare’s Book Buddies program, a book about volunteerism that the Volunteer Center publishes, activity books donated by the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and math and word flashcards.

“We try to make the contents identical so each child is as happy as the next,” explains Grubbs.

“For the first time, we have a workbook that teaches children how to work with money. This is so important and has been requested by principals for years.”

The cost of each backpack is $40. Contributions have come from Molina Healthcare ($30,000), Verizon ($10,000), and the Port of Long Beach ($8,000). More money is being raised through fundraisers and individual donations.

Many of the backpacks are delivered by firefighters or representatives from corporate or small business donors. The kids are treated to story time and, in the case of a firefighter visit, safety lessons on dialing 911 and “stop, drop, and roll.”

Operation Teddy Bear began modestly in Long Beach in 1994 with 30 handmade backpacks. Long Beach resident Grubbs came on board in 2003. That year, 500 backpacks were distributed. Operation Teddy Bear is currently serving 20 Title I Long Beach campuses, up three schools from last year. Simply put, schools are categorized as Title I if they have a population of more than 35 percent “at-risk” students.

Expansion of the program is limited by the space available to assemble the backpacks. It takes approximately three weeks for groups of volunteers to assemble them all using two long assembly lines.

An additional 2,600 backpacks are given to schools in areas surrounding Long Beach that the Volunteer Center of South Bay-Harbor-Long Beach serves, including Carson, Compton, Culver City, Inglewood, San Pedro, and Wilmington.

“The communities vary greatly, and so do the resources,” says Grubbs. Money raised in each community stays in that community.

Valero Refinery in Wilmington sponsors a surf competition to raise money for Operation Teddy Bear. This year, Valero raised $6,000. What’s more, Valero employees help put the backpacks together and deliver them.

Tito’s Tacos in Culver City sponsors a school in Culver City with $8,000 in yearly contributions.

“The principals of these schools and the contributors to this program are truly the heroes,” says Grubbs, deflecting compliments directed at him. He claims he’s not perfect, but perhaps he’s perfectly humble.

The Volunteer Center was founded in 1963 by the Junior League of Long Beach. For more information or to make a donation, e-mail Jim Grubbs at development@volctr-sobay.com.