Back-To-School Event Recap

This past Tuesday evening we held a “Back-To-School Event” for our families in the courtyard outside our office in Anaheim. The kids in our program, both current and graduate, were able to come and get ready for the upcoming school year.

Our kids were able to get a new backpack filled with school supplies, courtesy of donations from our partners at Schools on Wheels and one of our wonderful host congregations, Brea Congregational UCC. The kids were also very excited to receive Science Kits and Art Kits donated by the California Science Center.

In addition, CRU Institute of Cosmetology & Barbering sent over some students who volunteered their time to provide fresh back-to-school haircuts for the kids!

While waiting for their turn for a haircut, the kids also enjoyed a movie night on a big outdoor screen, complete with popcorn and other snacks. Families were also able to take home snacks for school lunches, new masks and hand sanitizer to stay safe at school, and fresh meals provided by our friends at The Lord’s Love.

Overall, the “Back To School Event” was a success and everyone had a great time. Thank you to all of our partners who donated to help send our kids back to school in style!

Without such amazing community support, none of this could be possible. We and the families we serve are very grateful!

Congregation Spotlight: First United Methodist Church of Orange

This week’s congregation spotlight highlights First United Methodist Church of Orange located in Orange, California. We are truly grateful for everything this congregation has done for us over the years, and especially during the pandemic. We are so thankful to be partners with such a welcoming congregation!

Beginning in 1875, First United Methodist Church became the first Methodist church of Orange County. This congregation welcomes all people and attempts to worship and live out the teachings of God and Jesus Christ. The church is led by Senior Pastor, William Johnson. Since July of 2014, Pastor Johnson has been a part of this congregation, and has strived to teach, provide insight of, and demonstrate the messages from the Gospel in his everyday life.

This congregation has worked with Family Promise for several years, and was actually one of our original church partners, dating all the way back to the beginning of our affiliate. The old Family Promise of Orange County office used to be located at FUMCO prior to moving to our current location in Anaheim. Today, two amazing coordinators, Jackie Hanson and Joyce Claussen, dedicate a lot of time and effort to making this partnership successful. Four times a year, they and the congregation volunteers host our families. In addition, they host our families in the youth room of the church, where they have showers and a nice big space for the kids. We could not be more thankful for the support our families receive from this giving congregation. Thank you, FUMCO!

July Program Update

Happy summer to all! As we wrap up the month of July, easing pandemic restrictions have allowed us to work more closely with our community members and supporters again. We continue to safely help families on their journeys to overcoming homelessness.

2021 Service Numbers

So far this year, we have served 67 families! That means we have been able to help 227 people in our community, including 121 kids! We are extremely proud of how far we have come, and are grateful for the opportunity to help more individuals and families secure housing in the months ahead.

Volunteer!

If you would like to lend a hand to families in your community, we now offer in-person volunteer opportunities! You can check out the most current opportunities by visiting our Volunteer page.

Save the Date!

The date of our Annual Gala has been moved to Saturday, October 23rd. Mark your calendars!

Emergency Shelter Program Update

Exciting news! We are able to say "hello again” to our partner congregations very soon, as we aim to reopen our Emergency Shelter hosting rotation on Sunday, September 12th. We look forward to being able to provide safe shelter, warm meals, and hospitality for more Orange County families!

Transitional Housing Program Update

In the months ahead we look forward to having IKEA renovate our second transitional home, Jacob House. We are still thrilled with the results from June’s renovation of Kramer House, and can’t wait for this new transformation! In preparation for the house facelift, we decided that the Jacob House garage also needed some help. Along with the help of OneOC volunteers, we cleaned out the entire garage at Jacob House (which had accumulated lots of “stuff” over the years!). Check out the photo of the items we removed, and of the new empty space!

In addition, Family Promise accepted an Eagle Scout project for the fall where the entire garage will be renovated with better storage solutions and to make a "hang out" area for our older kids. This will provide the older kids with a space for themselves where they can relax away from their bedrooms and the shared communal space. We look forward to our Scout’s creativity and efforts in making over the garage at Jacob House!

Supportive Services Program Update

We continue to provide much-needed diapers and wipes to low-income families throughout Orange County. The families we serve do not need to qualify for our program directly - all they need to do is make an appointment with our case management team! We also continue to support our graduate families with much needed gas gift cards, grocery gift cards, laundry money, rental assistance, and case management.

Back-to-School

Next week is also a big week because we get to help our kids get ready for back-to-school time! Can you believe school is already starting up again soon? A local beauty school will be coming to our office to provide free back-to-school haircuts for the kids, and our congregational and organizational partners will be supplying them with backpacks and plenty of school supplies! We are thankful for all of the donations from our partners, and can’t wait to help our kids welcome the 2021-22 school year.

On behalf of our families, volunteers, and staff, thank you for your continued support of our program. Stay cool this summer!