The Orange Aid Project collects retrievable food from restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, and caterers to distribute to low income Orange County residents. It was originally conceived by a dedicated group of Orange County residents, including
When the Orange Aid Project started in 1992, these committed individuals could not have predicted the success of this program and how many Orange County residents it would feed each year.
Orange Aid sought to retrieve excess food from local food vendors and distribute it to the hungry. Their vision created the present program in which our volunteer drivers pickup donated food from 46 sites, 6 days a week. Other volunteers package and bag the food for distribution. This food is then given out to those in need, about 200 individuals and families each day. Collectively, the resources of the Orange Aid Dinner have allowed for the construction of the SOS food distribution center and the purchase of 2 vans for the collection of the food.
Share Our Selves is one of the few organizations in Orange County that gives out food on a daily basis. Today, SOS is one of the largest most comprehensive, voluntary support agencies serving the poor in Orange County. The grocery bags handed out daily cost an average of $2.25 each and feed approximately a family of five for two to three days.
In the last sixteen years, over 850,000 individuals and families have benefited from the Orange Aid Project. What a difference a few people with a vision can make.