AUGUST NEWSLETTER Dear SCO Friends and Supporters, My name is LaVal Brewer and I am the new President & CEO of South County Outreach. I am honored to be a part of the SCO family and am excited to continue the incredible work of former President & CEO Lära Fisher. I am well-versed in the nonprofit sector, having previously held executive consulting positions with Playworks and YMCA, with a focus on strategy, fundraising and volunteers. I look forward to applying my expertise in support of SCO’s mission and vision to End Hunger and House Hope. I stand by South County Outreach’s belief that food is a fundamental right, not a privilege. Together we will continue to provide our clients with high-quality food, as well as kitchen staples and culturally diverse offerings through our food assistance program. The structure of our Food Pantry also provides clients with dignity as they are able to specify their own food and essential items based on preference and dietary need – something we are proud to provide. A little more about myself – I was born and raised in South LA and currently reside in Mission Viejo. When I’m not in the office, I can be found spending time with my wife and three daughters, volunteering in my community, barbequing or woodworking. Overall, I am truly passionate about helping others and our Orange County community and am excited to begin this journey with South County Outreach and all of you. Best Regards,
LaVal Brewer
HELP US HONOR
LÄRA FISHER’S RETIREMENT! As you have likely heard, our amazing President & CEO of nine years has retired! Lära Fisher served Orange County passionately during her tenure at South County Outreach and we want to thank her in a big way. With your help, we can reach our goal to fill an entire truck (800 boxes of food!) to feed our clients in need in honor of Lära’s time with SCO. For nearly a decade, Lära helped South County Outreach grow to be a leader and pillar of human services and family support. She has prioritized SCO families and led the charge to fight food insecurity and homelessness in Orange County. She is an inspiration to us all and we wish her nothing but the best in her retirement. Lära has officially moved to Florida where she and her husband love spending time at their waterfront home on the Gulf Coast (where they have even made friends with a manatee or two!). To donate and help SCO meet our goal, please visit: https://www.sco-oc.org/donation-form-lara/ and see below how your support impacts the community! • A $50 donation can provide healthy summer snack boxes for children • $100 can feed a senior for two months • A $200 contribution can feed a family of four with produce and meat • $500 can provide enough food to fill a pallet when combined with a matching gift from Generation Give **Our friends at Generation Give are matching pallet-level donations of $500 or more, doubling your impact!
For more information or questions about giving, please contact Dennis Williams at 949-380-8144 x218 or dwilliams@sco-oc.org. Checks may be mailed to the address below, notating “Lära’s Food Trucks” 7 Whatney, Suite B Irvine, CA 92618 South County Outreach Tax ID #33-0330233
SOUTH COUNTY OUTREACH
WI SH L I ST
TALENTS NEEDED • Writer & Storyteller – are you a writer looking for a story to • Accountant and Financial Expert – We would love to offer tell? Our job here is to share stories of our clients, volunteers, our clients help with budgeting and finances. and donors. We have a ton of stories to tell, but not enough • Estate Shopper – so many of our donated goodies come hands to type! We’d like to start having 3-4 new stories from estate sales, and we’re looking for someone to keep every month. Think you can manage that? Contact us! an eye out for those goodies! Do you frequent estate sales • Video Producer – We’re looking to up our YouTube game. often? Take care of two things at once and help Upscale Whether you want to give advice, create a shooting Resale grow! ~ 4 hours monthly schedule, or produce the entire thing, we want you! • Painter & Handyman – a.k.a we need a jack of all ~ 3 hours weekly trades! Do you know your way around a tool box? • Merchandiser & Retail Designer – Do you know the Are small repair jobs a piece of cake for you? We need best ways to make a store flow? What items should be your help! We are looking for a volunteer handyman. ~ 8 hours monthly featured and where to put them? We need your help! ~ 4 hours monthly
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TREASURES NEEDED Children’s Books – We like to offer our littlest clients • Peanut Butter – This is a favorite – and a great source books to keep them busy while their parents are filling of protein. out paperwork or receiving services. It’s nice to give them • Good-Quality Camera – We want to keep our supporters something to take home and to encourage reading. Please informed about what’s happening at South County Outreach bring in new or gently used children’s books. and our work to prevent hunger and homelessness. Please Strollers and Car Seats – Clients often need single or help by donating a DSLR camera so we can share good double strollers and car seats for their children. photos and document our programs. Cleaning Supplies and Household Necessities – Help us • Storage Space –We are in need of storage near our offices make our new housing clients feel welcome in their new in south Irvine to store supplies. Space in a warehouse or homes by donating cleaning supplies and other household storage facility would be ideal. necessities. • Wine Donations & Auction Items – We are always in Furniture and Mattresses – Many of our housing clients need of wine donations and unique auction gifts for our annual fundraisers. move in to their new home bringing little-to-nothing with them. We would love to be able to provide clients with • Cleaning and Sanitation Supplies – We are always in furniture, mattresses, and cribs. need of cleaning and sanitation supplies to keep our pantry clean and everyone healthy! We are in need of mops, mop Vacuum – Help our clients keep their homes tidy! One of buckets, brooms, odor genie odor eliminator, Lysol or the most requested items. Clorox type cleaning products, and paper towels. Oil Changes and Car Repairs – Many of our clients need assistance with their transportation through oil changes, • Office Equipment – We would love a laminator, webcams, and computer microphones for our day-to-day maintenance, and car repairs. office use. Bags for the Food Pantry – Heavy plastic and reusable grocery bags are needed in our food pantry. If you have a • Car, Truck, Boat, or RV - Consider donating your car, truck, boat, or RV. Many of our clients need transportation and we business that can donate bags, or if you have extra bags at can sell those our clients can’t use to support our programs! home, please be a Hunger Hero and help our clients get their food home.
FACTS & FIGURES:
HUNGER & HOMELESSNESS TODAY Total - ↑ 38%
• 6,860 people in Orange County homeless on a given night (in 2019) - 21.5 per 10,000 people in the general population
6,000
Individual - ↑ 40%
• Between 2018 and 2019, OC’s total homeless population increased by 38%. The sheltered population increased by 22% and the unsheltered population increased by 53%
Unsheltered - ↑ 53%
4,000
Sheltered - ↑ 22% Chronic - ↑ 138%
2,000
Family - ↑ 32%
• 16 cities in Orange County had more than 100 homeless (Santa Ana: 1,769; Anaheim: 1,202; Fullerton: 473; Tustin: 359; Huntington Beach: 349)
Veteran* - ↓ 26% Youth* - ↑ 80%
0 2018
2019
Source: https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-dashboards/?State=California
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HISTORICAL TREND • OC unemployment rate as of June 2020 is at 13.7% - this time last year it was at 2.9%
16.0% 14.0% 12.0% 10.0%
• OC unemployment was at 4% in March 2020, 12% in April, 14.7% in May
8.0%
• A minimum wage worker makes just $25,350 per year and the average rent for an apartment in South Orange County is $2,250 per month
6.0% 4.0% 2.0% Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 18 18 18 18 18 18 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 20 20 20 20 20 20
Source: https://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/file/lfmonth/oran$pds.pdf
In the US,
1 in 9 people 8.5%
of the OC population experiencing food insecurity
struggles with hunger Source: http://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2018/overall/california/county/orange
(267,730 people)
11.2%
of children in OC experiencing food insecurity (79,360 children)
COVID UPDATE HOW SCO HAS ADAPTED
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, families served by SCO are not only at risk of getting sick, but also face steeper challenges surrounding hunger and homelessness as shelters and food banks have either been forced to close or have suffered from inventory loss. Luckily, SCO implemented our Emergency Crisis Protocol on March 16, 2020, allowing us to assist more families in need during this time of health and economic uncertainty. The graphic below provides a glimpse of what we’ve done thus far, but we continue to work hard each and every day to help the number of families we serve to rise even further. We’ve also helped 1,951 unemployed households since March by expanding our Homeless Prevention program to serve more people than ever before with rental and utility assistance. With many household providers unable to work, even for a short period of time, this program has provided parents and children the peace of mind knowing that they’ll have a roof over their heads even during these unprecedented times.
Continued to house
7 families in our affordable housing units
Lifted
10 families out of homelessness in our Transitional Housing Program
Helped
Fed
92 families avoid homelessness
2,924 families
by providing rental and utility assistance
(7,586 total people) high-quality and nutritious food through our pantry
CALL FOR TIMES OC READERS’ CHOICE NOMINATIONS
Nominations for the Times OC Readers’ Choice Awards are open now through August 23. We would love your help in nominating South County Outreach in the “Best Charity” category. We have included steps on how to do so below. Click HERE to start the nomination process!
HOW TO:
1
Visit https://uniontrib. secondstreetapp.com/ OCs-Best-2020/
2
Select the
“Shopping & Services” category
3
Scroll to
“Charity”
4 information Input the
requested
LOOKING AHEAD:
NATIONAL HUNGER AWARENESS MONTH Next month is one that is near and dear to our hearts – National Hunger Awareness Month. Observed in September, National Hunger Awareness Month is a time to spread the word and take action on the hunger crisis that our country and our community are facing. It is often misunderstood that hunger is caused by overall food shortages or the personal choices of people. Instead, we recognize that hunger in the United States is a result of poverty and food deserts, as well as the social forces that create and sustain these issues. SCO’s food assistance is our cornerstone program, and we work each day to support families in need. For example: Our food pantry has served over 13,000 clients this year including Anna, a single mother of three young children. Although Anna is working more than 40 hours a week, finances are tight in her household as she prioritizes providing for her family with little-to-no discretionary income. When her children are on break from school, she is faced with the additional challenge of providing 15 additional lunch meals per week along with the extra cost for childcare while she is at work, further straining her limited budget. Thanks to our Food Pantry services and to supporters and donors like you, stories like Anna’s have a happy ending as our families are able to enjoy nutritious, high-quality meals without being forced to choose between paying a utility bill or rent, or paying for food.
To make a donation to support lunches for our students who are home more often than ever, please visit https://www.sco-oc.org/donation-form/. Or if you are interested in hosting a food drive, please visit http://www.sco-oc.org/donate/food-drive-fridays
CLIENT SUCCESS STORY
SCO helps families who are having trouble making ends meet by providing rental and utility assistance, and even subsidized housing. Our Transitional Housing Program (THP) began in 1994, and since then we’ve been able to help pull an average of 20 families out of homelessness each year.
It’s a big job, but we’re not alone. We believe that by helping people help themselves, we can prevent hunger and homelessness.
Diane and her husband James have two young sons and sought help from South County Outreach last summer after experiencing a whirlwind of setbacks that crippled what was once a strong financial foundation. Just four months after their wedding in 2003, James was diagnosed with kidney failure and after the years on dialysis that followed, he was fortunate enough to receive a transplant in 2007. However, James was not able to return to his once promising career and he was laid off, eliminating the family’s primary source of income, along with their health insurance. James still struggles with hospitalization and associated health issues to this day, which prevents him from being able to retain full-time employment. Facing homelessness, the family was given the opportunity to move into a relative’s vacant home, along with Diane’s mother, whose social security payments afforded them the ability to make rent payments to their new landlord. In early 2019, Diane’s mother passed away suddenly and they could no longer pay their rent or utility bills. Diane is a driven, steadfast matriarch who remained determined to improve her family’s living situation and overall emotional wellbeing. She began the process of relocating her family last spring, and discovered South County Outreach. We were able to admit the family to one of our THP condominiums in July of 2019 and because our THP condominiums are subsidized by generous funders, Diane and her family are able to save money on their housing to get back on their feet. Diane and James’ story is just one example of how South County Outreach positively impacts the lives of our clients. With your support, we can continue to change lives throughout Orange County.
WECOME NEW STAFF Danny Boyas joins us as Homeless Prevention Case Manager. Interesting fact about Danny? He played semi-professional soccer for 2 years and has been dancing Cumbia since he was 8 years old. Danny can be reached at extension 219 or casemanager@sco-oc.org.
Katie Grandori joins us as Marketing and Communications Manager. Interesting fact about Katie? She is an active member of the California National Guard and currently resides in San Clemente. Katie can be reached at extension 210 or marketingmgr@sco-oc.org. Tanner Lappano joins us as Homeless Prevention Case Worker. Interesting fact about Tanner? He was born and raised in Washington State and recently moved to Southern California. He also has an identical twin brother. Tanner can be reached at extension 201 or tlappano@sco-oc.org. Cassie Owens joins us as Volunteer Manager. Interesting fact about Cassie? She has worked in the non-profit community for almost 10 years. Cassie can be reached at extension 217 or volmgr@sco-oc.org.
Dennis Williams joins us as Director of Development. Interesting fact about Dennis? He is originally from Texas and has a pet guinea pig named Peanut. Dennis can be reached at extension 218 or dwilliams@sco-oc.org.
www.sco-oc.org Food Pantry 7 Whatney, Suite B, Irvine, CA 92618 Phone: 949.380.8144, ext. 207
Upscale Resale Thrift Store 23501 Ridge Route Drive, #G Laguna Hills, CA 92653 Phone: 949.855.4158
Hours: Monday-Thursday 10am-2pm | Fridays 9am-11am We strongly recommend appointments.
Hours: Monday to Friday 11am-5pm | Saturday 10am-4pm