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FOCUS Orange County’s Summer Feeding Program kicked the first week in July! For 28 days, volunteers are working to combat summer food insecurity by preparing and serving meals for low income families that need help keeping food on the table.

Summer is a time of increased expenses, and on average families can expect their expenses to increase by about twenty percent during the summer months. One of the leading causes of this increase in expenses is child care (you can check out our blog post for more information on how summer impacts families).

In Orange County, local FOCUS Director Irene Basdakis is working with Orthodox parishes, local nonprofit partners, and the Orange County food bank to help provide meals that help families reduce their expenses and make ends meet. Serving a meal may seem like a simple act, but with the elevate cost of living in Southern California every dollar truly counts when trying to make rent, or fill the gas tank to get to work.

“The goal is to have many hands serve over 2,000 meals beginning July 8 and ending August 22,” says Irene.  In order to accomplish this, we need YOU to help us take action!

If you would like to get involved, here’s what you can do:
  1. Gather your church, organization, or family and encourage them to volunteer with you.
  2. Sign up online for the days you’d like to serve.
  3. Contact Irene if you are interested in preparing or purchasing food to distribute (food must be prepared in a certified kitchen).
  4. Continue to Pray, Give, and Serve with FOCUS Orange County.

If you would like to make a donation to FOCUS Orange County to support summer feeding, you can do so via our secure donation page.