Past

Costa Mesa, CA — Did you know that the SOS Adopt A Family program has been taking place every December since just before Share Our Selves began? Continuing with this amazing local tradition of care during an added time of need, Adopt a Family was able to celebrate a successful 50th anniversary with the help of thousands from the community.

With the help of school districts and organizations from Santa Ana and Costa Mesa, who were able to identify struggling families in their networks, Share Our Selves was able to match these families with generous donors and local businesses to provide both gifts and food for the holidays. The entire operation culminates in a large-scale donor drop-off event at the OC Fair & Event Center with the help of hundreds of joyful volunteers.

Through the collective efforts of all involved, this year’s program was able to provide gifts and food for over 1,490 families with 4,537 children. While the immediate intent is to provide hope and opportunity during the holiday season, the long-term goal is to provide these families with the year-round opportunities for access to the other services SOS offers.

In the 50 years of the program, Adopt A Family has provided help during the holidays to more than 52,000 families. The legacy of this program is inextricably tied to the greater community of invaluable volunteers who have put in countless hours of services, along with the thousands of donors who made the choice to bring the magic of the holidays to struggling families in Orange County.

We are incredibly humbled and grateful for the support so many of you have shared, the time you have committed, and the generosity you have shown to help make this program a reality for 50 years. We are excited to see how this program will continue to grow and thrive.

Costa Mesa, CA — Share Our Selves welcomed families from the Orange County community to two events, Saturday of Service and Family Service Night, to kick off the holiday season by serving their homeless neighbors. Participants worked on projects that helped our homeless neighbors and taught children about the challenges they face. Geared towards families with children elementary school to high school age, these events provided the opportunity to introduce the next generation of OC philanthropists to issues of hunger and homelessness in our community. Throughout the night, our families helped SOS prepare for the holiday season by:

• Sorting 2,000 pounds of canned and assorted goods
• Packing 625 bags full of hygiene items
• Packing 400 diaper kits with diapers, wipes, and hand sanitizer
• Creating and decorating 150 gift card holders for our Adopt A Family program
• Packing 150 lunches for our homeless clients
• Preparing over 100 bags of Thanksgiving produce

Thank you to the 260 community members those who helped make this night a true success!

A huge thank you to our generous chefs, sponsors, event sponsors, Celebrity Chef Dinner Committee & volunteers for making this event a huge success!

Reception

First Course

Entrée

Dessert

Costa Mesa, CA — On June 7, 2019 the SOS First in Family College Readiness Program celebrated the achievements of 8 low-income first-generation high school seniors with a special event held at the SOS Community Health Center. The program prepares students for success in college by supplying them with laptop computers, dorm room essentials, money for textbooks, and case management support through their first year of college. SOS also helped participants select new professional attire outfits for a school presentation that they can use for job interviews and other formal occasions in the future. By working with their college guidance counselors, SOS is also ensuring that they will have the support they need once in college.

Participants in this year’s project were high school seniors from Newport Harbor High School, Costa Mesa High School, Foothill High School and Estancia High School. Each student was recommended to SOS by an advocate at their school because of their determination to overcome difficult circumstances to succeed. They also submitted an application and wrote a personal statement describing why they should be considered for this project, as well as confirmed their attendance at a college or university in the fall.

All the participants will either be the first in their family to attend college, or part of the first generation in their family to do so. Some of the schools they will be attending are the University of California, Irvine; California State University, Fullerton; Saddleback College; California State University, Bakersfield; and Orange Coast College. Here are a few of their stories (we have changed their names to protect their identities):

The students and their invited guests gathered at SOS in Costa Mesa on Friday afternoon to celebrate their acceptance into the SOS First in Family College Readiness Program and accept their college supplies. Each student received a laptop computer and a $100 gift card for Amazon for textbooks. Student attending a community college got a backpack filled with school supplies, while those who will be living on campus got luggage with dorm supplies including hangers, towels, sheets and a hygiene kit. As a special surprise, SOS procured a sweatshirt for each student from their college or university. Many of the schools donated these items for the students.

Speakers at the event on Friday included community facilitator Maria Barragan from Estancia High School, who spoke about the school’s senior project and the history of the collaboration with SOS; SOS Director of Social Services Michael McGlinn; a student panel featuring past program participants; and the keynote speaker, Megan Lattimer, who spoke about her experiences helping those in need at the OCC food pantry. The event included dinner and cake for the participants and their families.

This project would not have been possible without the generous support of our community. Their kind donations of funds, college supplies and hygiene items allowed SOS to provide each student with a wonderful care package that will make the transition to college as effortless as possible.

A huge thank you to our generous chefs, sponsors, event sponsors, Wild & Crazy Taco Night Committee & volunteers for making this event a huge success!

Costa Mesa, CA – This holiday season marked the 49th year of Share Our Selves’ Annual Adopt A Family Program. This wonderful holiday tradition supports many struggling Orange County families by providing gifts and food for the holidays. In 2018, the Adopt A Family Program connected donors with 1,451 families with children recommended by Costa Mesa and Santa Ana organizations and schools.

Hundreds of families and organizations made Adopt A Family a part of their holiday tradition in 2018. Participating donors provided each child in the family with at least two new gifts and a complete holiday dinner. In addition to our donors, various companies, schools and religious organizations held food and toy drives, which assisted SOS in providing a memorable holiday for every family.

This year SOS was able to deliver Christmas gifts and a hearty meal to 1,451 families with over 4,527 children from 62 local schools and organizations. SOS would like to extend a big thank you to our amazing volunteers who put in countless hours of time over many months. We sincerely appreciate the generosity of the many families, companies and organizations that adopted families and held food and toy drives, as well as the numerous volunteer and staff members who worked tirelessly at the OC Fair & Event Center packing and sorting boxes of gifts and food. It is because of the support of the community that SOS was able to make this a Merry Christmas for families that desperately needed a little holiday cheer.

SOS also collected messages of thanks from the families who directly benefited from this program. Please take a look at their heartfelt words in the slideshow below.

Costa Mesa, CA – In 2018, Share Our Selves distributed 1,346 Thanksgiving food bags over the three days before Thanksgiving. The bags were full of everything needed for a delicious dinner, including turkeys, chickens, produce, rolls, stuffing, pies, and more.

Thanksgiving is truly a team effort. A huge thank you to everyone that helped out!

Costa Mesa, CA- Share Our Selves Family Service, which took place on Thursday, November  15, 2018, was a chance for families to kick off the holiday season together by working on projects that helped our homeless neighbors and taught children about the challenges they face. Geared towards families with children elementary school age or younger, this night was unique opportunity to introduce the next generation of OC philanthropists to issues of hunger and homelessness in our community. Throughout the night, our little helpers helped SOS prepare for the holiday season by:

• Sorting 1,900 pounds of canned goods
• Preparing 1,400 bags of Thanksgiving produce
• Packing 250 bags full of hygiene items
• Making 12 blankets to keep our neighbors experiencing homelessness warm
• Creating and decorating dozens of holiday cards and food bags to spread the joy of the season

Thank you to the 200 community members those who helped make this night a true success!