HomeAid Orange County's Essentials for Young Lives Drive Kick-Off at Irvine Spectrum Center
Public invited to donate “essential” baby items for homeless mothers and their children.
IRVINE, Calif. (April 23, 2009) HomeAid Orange County in partnership with the Children and Families Commission of Orange County is launching the 2009 Essentials for Young Lives drive at Irvine Spectrum Center® on Saturday, April 25, 2009. Beginning at 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. volunteers will accept donations of diapers, baby wipes, baby food and baby products (wash, lotion, etc.) at Irvine Spectrum Center® Giant Wheel Court, Bellini and curb side at Wahoo’s Fish Taco.
Several Irvine Spectrum Center® merchants have generously joined the cause.
- The first 200 people to donate a box of diapers will receive a FREE Wahoo's Fish Taco coupon for one fish taco.
- Present a special Jamba Juice/Essentials for Young Lives flyer and 20 percent of the customer’s purchase will be donated to the event.
- Purchase a donation item at Bellini and receive 10% discount on donation purchase.
Essentials for Young Lives is a community-wide effort to collect much needed “essential” baby items for homeless infants and toddlers. April 27 – 30 companies and organizations throughout Orange County will be conducting drives. The YMCA of Orange County invites the public to drop off donations at any of their afterschool child care centers and YMCA facility branches. To see a complete list go to http://www.ymcaoc.org/pdf/child_care/dropoff-loc-apr09.pdf
In April of 2008, Orange County held its first annual Essentials for Young Lives Drive, partnering with the Children and Families Commission of Orange County. The drive successfully collected 117,956 essential baby items for 15 non-profit organizations. More than 60 companies and organizations along with various individuals throughout the county donated 32,088 diapers, 81,822 baby wipes and 4,046 miscellaneous baby items such as baby food, bottles and baby hygiene products. The drive coincides with Mother’s Day. It is HomeAid’s desire to honor and celebrate mothers by ensuring that they are given the tools to provide for their children’s needs.
Everything collected throughout the course of the drive will go to HomeAid’s service provider partners who provide services to homeless mothers and their children. For more information on the Essentials for Young Lives drive, or to find out how to become a drop-off location, visit the website at www.homeaidoc.org/calendar_essentials.php, contact Carolyn Baker at carolyn@homeaidoc.org or call 949-553-9510.
About HomeAid Orange County
HomeAid Orange County is the founding chapter of a national non-profit organization with the mission to build and maintain dignified housing where homeless families and individuals can rebuild their lives. Founded in1989 by the Orange County Chapter of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, HomeAid acts as the housing developer and liaison between service providers, community volunteers, builders and specialty contractors. To date the organization has completed 44 housing developments that serve victims of domestic violence, pregnant homeless women, abused and abandoned children, homeless adults living with HIV/AIDS and homeless families. www.homeaidoc.org.
About Children and Families Commission of Orange County
The Children and Families Commission of Orange County allocates funds from Proposition 10 that adds a 50-cent tax on tobacco products sold in California for education, health and child development programs for children from the prenatal stage to 5-years and their families. Programs supported include shelter projects and services for children and families because “children learn better when they have a home.” For additional information visit: www.occhildrenandfamilies.com.
About YMCA of Orange County
The YMCA of Orange County brings a sense of belonging to the community and promotes strong basic values and feelings of high self-worth that are critical for people of all ages. The YMCA commitment to meeting community needs is continually demonstrated in programs ranging from child care, after-school enrichment, youth leadership and development, and mentoring and tutoring to youth and adult sports, fitness, camping, and family support activities. The YMCA has been offering services to the residents of Orange County since the 1880’s. Today the YMCA of Orange County has operates eight branches, serves 85,000 residents of Orange County annually, is the largest provider of licensed school-age child care in the county and has program offerings in 100+ locations spanning the county. www.ymcaoc.org.
  
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