6^th Annual Essentials for Young Lives Donation Drive Delivers

Orange County Campaign Collects over 1 Million Essential Items for Homeless Families

May 22, 2013 (Irvine, CA) – Today HomeAid Orange County, in partnership with the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, delivered over 1 million essential items to 17 facilities serving homeless families with children.  The 6^th Annual Essentials for Young Lives donation drive was the most successful drive in HomeAid Orange County history, almost doubling the 2012 collection of just over 500,000 items. 

“We are absolutely thrilled with the results of this year’s Essentials campaign.  It is the compassion and support of the community that continues to make this donation drive so successful.  Families represent the highest percentage of those living in shelters throughout Orange County, and being able to provide over 750,000 diapers and 250,000 other items to support them is incredible,” said Scott Larson, Executive Director of HomeAid Orange County.  “We would especially like to thank our corporate sponsors, Vons, UPS, Bank of America, the Koll Company, the Automobile Club of Southern California, and the YMCA of Orange County for their support of this campaign.  Our partners understand how important this donation drive is for homeless mothers and their infants in our community.”

The items collected through the Essentials campaign will be distributed to transitional housing facilities that were built with the assistance of HomeAid Orange County.  These diapers and other essential items that were donated enable recipient agencies to save the funds normally spent on baby supplies for use on programs that help their clients achieve self-sufficiency and lead productive, independent lives. 

“The Commission appreciates its partnership with HomeAid Orange County that has successfully increased the capacity at shelters and the support services for homeless mothers with young children,” said Sandra Barry, chair of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County. “The Essentials campaign has significantly enhanced the Commission’s investment and promotes our aspiration that all children have a safe and secure place to live.”

The Orange County Essentials for Young Lives campaign was first launched in 2008 and has collected over 2.25 million essential baby items.  The donations collected will go directly to meet the critical needs of homeless children and families in Orange County. 

“I am humbled to see that our community, once again, showed enormous generosity to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community,” said Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, Honorary Chair.  “It has been a privilege for the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to participate in the Essentials for Young Lives donation drive.  We see firsthand how important transitional housing can be to so many Orange County families and know that, by joining with HomeAid and the Children and Families Commission of Orange County, we can remove some stress and anxiety that may come with a temporary living situation.”

For more information, please visit http://www.homeaidessentials.org.

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HomeAid Orange County

HomeAid Orange County is the founding chapter of a national non-profit organization with the purpose to end homelessness through their mission to build dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives. Founded in 1989 by the Orange County Chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, HomeAid acts as the housing developer and liaison between services providers, community volunteers, builders and specialty contractors. To date the organization has completed 49 developments that serve victims of domestic violence, pregnant homeless women, abused and abandoned children, homeless adults living with HIV/AIDS and homeless families. For more information, please visit www.homeaidoc.org.

Children and Families Commission of Orange County

The Children and Families Commission of Orange County oversees the allocation of funds from Proposition 10, which added a 50-cent tax on tobacco products sold in California. Funds help pay for education, health care and child development programs for children from birth to five and their families.  The Commission’s goal is to ensure all children are healthy and ready to learn when they enter school. For more information, please visit www.occhildrenandfamilies.com.