Past

Huntington Beach, CA — The 29th Annual Share Our Selves (SOS) Celebrity Chef Dinner brought over 250 generous community members together for an exciting evening of fun, delicious food and drinks, and philanthropy. The event, held at the beautiful Paséa Hotel & Spa on Friday, October 11, 2019, highlighted 12 phenomenal local chefs committed to helping those in need in Orange County. The event netted approximately $129,000 in support of the SOS Food Pantry and Comprehensive Service Center, which provides food and needed services such as rental and utilities assistance, transportation, and seasonal programs for low-income individuals and families.

The event began with an outdoor reception highlighting the beautiful beachfront location. Guests were able to mingle with chefs and beverage sponsors, enjoy live music, and learn about SOS from staff and informational signage as the sun set behind the Huntington Beach pier just across the street. The reception featured hors d’oeuvres stations, and wine and beer tastings. A wine pull gave guests the chance to buy a mystery bottle of wine for $30 that was valued anywhere from $20 to $175. The silent auction afforded attendees another chance to bid on fun items donated by local individuals and businesses.

Guests then moved to the ballroom for the first course, entrée and dessert during the live auction and program. New CEO Christy Ward addressed the crowd, speaking to her excitement in joining the SOS team. Social Services Director Michael McGlinn then gave a heartfelt talk about SOS’s homeless clients and the many measures the organization is taking to address their health and get them into housing. One-of-a-kind dinners prepared by our chefs made for an enticing live auction lineup, and emcee Zack Krone kept the frenzied bidders raising their paddles. The evening ended with a lively Fund A Need, in which bidders raised their paddles one last time to make a contribution to SOS. The Fund A Need raised over $59,000 in just over five minutes.

Children living in poverty start their school year at a large disadvantage. Without crucial school supplies, these students cannot fully participate in classroom activities or complete their homework. SOS’s annual Back To School Program was launched in 1994 with the goal of closing the educational gap for low-income K-12 students.

Last year’s program provided approximately 4,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to local students. With your support, we will continue to grow both the number of students served as well as the resources offered. Thank you for helping us bring joy and learning to those in need.

Join Us at We Care Wednesday at the OC FAIR!

Wednesday, July 17th
12-3pm

Bring $5 worth of school supplies (must be new in sealed packaging) and get free admission to the OC Fair and a carnival ride! One ticket per person per donation.

ITEMS NEEDED:

• Backpacks
• Binders
• Notebooks
• Filler Paper
• Markers
• Pens
• Pencils
• Colored Pencils

Donate Now

Your generous monetary donations allow us to purchase supplies in bulk and expand our reach. Looking to donate items? Check out our Amazon wish list and send donations of our most in-demand items directly to us!

Lead A Drive

Organize your own backpack and school supply drive with your corporation or social club! You can use the flyer below or contact us if you’d like other materials created.

Volunteer

Help us sort supplies and prepare backpacks! Contact Marie Macaulay at 949.270.2118 or mmacaulay@shareourselves.org to sign up.

Sponsor

Fund the SOS Back to School Program’s major needs so that we can continue to provide students with the tools needed to learn.

Register for Backpacks

If you are a client who would like to register for backpacks, please click here to see our registration dates and locations.

Resources

Click here for more information on how your group can get involved!

Click here for a school supply flyer to post at your Back to School drive!

Click here if you would like to register for backpacks!

Please contact Alina Pineda at 949.536.3913 or apineda@shareourselves.org for more information about this program.

Costa Mesa, CA – As Share Our Selves (SOS) hosted their 26th Annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night on Thursday, April 4th, more than 700 people came to the SOS main campus in Costa Mesa to taste incredibly unique tacos invented by some of Orange County’s most recognizable names in food. Twenty-one award-winning chefs presented their inspired creations alongside craft beer from Barley Forge Brewing Co. and specialty margaritas provided by DesMaDre Tequila, Trevor’s at the Tracks, Sol Cocina and Sol Agave. With proceeds in excess of $75,000, all going towards the SOS Food Pantry, the night’s goal of helping feed those at risk of hunger in the community proved to be a wild success.

Following the same trend as in year’s past, there was an increase in attendees opting to participate in the VIP pre-event party which allowed dedicated foodies the chance to enjoy early access to all food and beverages while providing an opportunity to connect with the chefs directly. With all of the tacos designed exclusively for this event, many took advantage of allowing enough time to try these one and done creations and learn the inspirations behind each chef’s creation.

Every attendee had the opportunity to vote for the “People’s Choice Taco Award” presented by Yelp!, and the competition was stronger than ever. This year’s winner was Chef Alessandro Pirozzi of Pirozzi Corona Del Mar, Alessá Laguna Beach, and Salerno. Chef Pirozzi won over the crowd with his ‘Beauty and the Beast Taco’ which consisted of a red rose petal infused tortilla, homemade bison sausage, fresh grass, spicy house-made salsa verde, and julienne yellow and pink parsley.

All of the proceeds from the event benefit the SOS Food Pantry, which collects goods from restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, caterers, and donors to distribute food to low-income and homeless residents in Orange County. Volunteers package the food for distribution five days a week, with a daily average of 235 families and individuals receiving groceries who normally wrestle with food-insecurity.

Huntington Beach, CA – The 28th Annual Share Our Selves (SOS) Celebrity Chef Dinner brought over 250 generous community members together for an exciting evening of fun, delicious food and drinks, and philanthropy. The event, held on Friday, October 5 at the beautiful Paséa Hotel & Spa, highlighted eight phenomenal local chefs committed to helping those in need in Orange County. The event netted approximately $147,000 in support of the SOS Food Pantry and Comprehensive Service Center, which provides food and needed services such as rental and utilities assistance, transportation, and seasonal programs for low-income individuals and families.

The event began with an outdoor reception that took advantage of the beachfront location, with the waves crashing just yards away as day turned to dusk under the twinkling market lights. The reception featured hors d’oeuvres stations, and wine and beer tastings. A wine pull gave guests the chance to buy a mystery bottle of wine for $30 that was valued anywhere from $25 to $120. The silent auction gave attendees another chance to bid on fun items donated by local individuals and businesses. Giant chalkboard signs with provocative prompts such as “What inspires you to give to your community?,” “Describe a moment from your life that took your breath away,” and “What changes do you hope to see in Orange County in the future?” encouraged guest participation. Everyone at the event had a wonderful time mingling with the chefs, sitting by the fire pits, enjoying the live music and photo booth, and learning more about SOS from the informational signage.

Guests then moved to the ballroom for the first course, entrée and dessert during the live auction and program. One-of-a kind dinners prepared by our chefs made for an enticing live auction lineup, and emcee Zack Krone kept the frenzied bidders raising their paddles. Next, SOS CEO Karen McGlinn gave a heartfelt talk about the moments and clients at SOS that have taken her breath away. The evening ended with a lively Fund A Need, in which bidders raised their paddles one last time to make a contribution to SOS. The Fund A Need raised over $50,000 in just over five minutes!