Food Shortage Threatens Local Program
In order to continue to provide nutritious food for more than 1,000 homeless children throughout Orange County, Giving Children Hope’s We’ve Got Your Back program said that they need food to address the shortage they are experiencing.
“The current shortage of food threatens the program’s ability to provide services to each child enrolled in, We’ve Got Your Back,” Director of Community Programs Elizabeth Saldana said. Saldana said that currently in Orange County, nearly 26,000 children are identified as homeless by the Orange County Department of Education through Mckinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
“These children often receive meals through the free and reduced lunch program in school, but are left hungry during the weekend,” Saldana said. “Grades, concentration and the ability to succeed in school are hindered by hunger.”
Saldana said in order to address the needs of the children, Giving Children Hope developed the We’ve Got Your Back Program, a weekend nutrition program designed to provide school children who have been identified as homeless backpacks filled with nutrious food items each week.
“More than 1,000 homeless students and their families benefit from the We’ve Got Your Back program each week, but the resources to maintain the services are limited,” Saldana said, “Giving Children Hope urgently needs canned food items to continue providing for these students.”
Saldana read a note from Andrew, a child benefitting from the program that reads: “Dear Donor, Thank you for the wonderful gift. Thank you for the food because we are running out. Sincerely, Andrew.”
“We currently have more children like Andrew in need; please help us continue to feed these children,” said Saldana.
Food donors, volunteers and community members are asked to host food drives, make canned food donations or give monetarily to We’ve Got Your Back in order to maintain services for 1,000 homeless children throughout Orange County.
Buena Park Downtown has been helping the Giving Children Hope-We’ve Got Your Back program by accepting canned food donations and boxed cereals at their Customer Service Center near the Krikorian Theatre entrance to mall.
Also, BPDT held a concert recently where they accepted not only the canned foods, but new, unwrapped toys for the GCH program for children at Christmas time.
Food donations mays be dropped off at either location. Giving Children Hope is located at 8332 Commonwealth Ave., in Buena Park and can be reached at 714-523-4454.
For GCH information, call 714-523-4454, ext. 130 or email Elizabeth Saldana at esaldana@godaid.org, visit www.wgyb.org or www.gchope.org.
Giving Children hope is a faith-based nonprofit organization in Buena Park, dedicated to alleviating poverty domestically and abroad through health and community development, disaster relief, vocational training and advocacy.
For Buena Park Downtown information call 714-503-5000 or visit wwww.buenaparkdowntown.com. Loreen Berlin can be reached at loreenberlin@verizon.net
Food Shortage Threatens Local Program
In order to continue to provide nutritious food for more than 1,000 homeless children throughout Orange County, Giving Children Hope’s We’ve Got Your Back program said that they need food to address the shortage they are experiencing.
“The current shortage of food threatens the program’s ability to provide services to each child enrolled in, We’ve Got Your Back,” Director of Community Programs Elizabeth Saldana said. Saldana said that currently in Orange County, nearly 26,000 children are identified as homeless by the Orange County Department of Education through Mckinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
“These children often receive meals through the free and reduced lunch program in school, but are left hungry during the weekend,” Saldana said. “Grades, concentration and the ability to succeed in school are hindered by hunger.”
Saldana said in order to address the needs of the children, Giving Children Hope developed the We’ve Got Your Back Program, a weekend nutrition program designed to provide school children who have been identified as homeless backpacks filled with nutrious food items each week.
“More than 1,000 homeless students and their families benefit from the We’ve Got Your Back program each week, but the resources to maintain the services are limited,” Saldana said, “Giving Children Hope urgently needs canned food items to continue providing for these students.”
Saldana read a note from Andrew, a child benefitting from the program that reads: “Dear Donor, Thank you for the wonderful gift. Thank you for the food because we are running out. Sincerely, Andrew.”
“We currently have more children like Andrew in need; please help us continue to feed these children,” said Saldana.
Food donors, volunteers and community members are asked to host food drives, make canned food donations or give monetarily to We’ve Got Your Back in order to maintain services for 1,000 homeless children throughout Orange County.
Buena Park Downtown has been helping the Giving Children Hope-We’ve Got Your Back program by accepting canned food donations and boxed cereals at their Customer Service Center near the Krikorian Theatre entrance to mall.
Also, BPDT held a concert recently where they accepted not only the canned foods, but new, unwrapped toys for the GCH program for children at Christmas time.
Food donations mays be dropped off at either location. Giving Children Hope is located at 8332 Commonwealth Ave., in Buena Park and can be reached at 714-523-4454.
For GCH information, call 714-523-4454, ext. 130 or email Elizabeth Saldana at esaldana@godaid.org, visit www.wgyb.org or www.gchope.org.
Giving Children hope is a faith-based nonprofit organization in Buena Park, dedicated to alleviating poverty domestically and abroad through health and community development, disaster relief, vocational training and advocacy.
For Buena Park Downtown information call 714-503-5000 or visit wwww.buenaparkdowntown.com. Loreen Berlin can be reached at loreenberlin@verizon.net
