What did you have for dinner last night? Pesto Salmon? Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs? Roasted Chicken?
While some of us may not worry about where our next meal will come from, 300,000 of our Orange County neighbors, including 100,000 children, suffer from food insecurity.
Lack of affordable housing, low wages, job loss, and medical expenses are some of the many factors that can cause our neighbors to experience hunger, poverty, and homelessness. For many families who work hard but live paycheck-to-paycheck, one unexpected expense can lead to the inability to buy food or pay for rent.
Join us in participating in national and local ‘Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week’ to learn more about hunger and housing issues, reflect on your own beliefs, and investigate ways that you can be part of the solution, including getting involved with our very own Thomas House Family Shelter in Garden Grove!
Below we outline local events lead by United Way Orange County and options to join Thomas House “to provide a safe, supportive environment and the resources necessary for homeless and at-risk families with children to remain together while empowering them to become independent and self-sufficient.”
HUNGER & HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS WEEK
National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is November 12th to November 20th.This week aims to educate the public, draw attention to the problem of poverty, and give the community an opportunity to contribute to a social cause for unhoused families with children. For this year’s United Way Orange County campaign, you can connect with others and engage in pivotal conversations about housing and hunger via in-person events, and/or virtual discussions to tune into. You can find more information about how to get involved by clicking here.
THOMAS HOUSE IMPACT
For over 37 years, Thomas House Family Shelter has successfully empowered thousands of unhoused families with children in Orange County to become independent and self-sufficient. Our Transitional Shelter and Supportive Services include safe shelter in one of our 22-apartments, food, supplies, and the vital supportive services that empower our families to heal and move forward into a living wage job and sustainable permanent housing. Our supportive services include one-on-one case management, food and supplies pantry, budgeting, financial literacy, parenting classes, career development services, counseling and mental health services, and a youth development program. Through these services, our families not only address the unaddressed trauma that led to hunger and homelessness, they also receive the vital tools and education to overcome and end the cycle of poverty and homelessness!
Upon graduating from our Transitional Shelter and Supportive Services Program, our families have access to as-needed, on-going
support through our Homeless Prevention Program. This program includes food and supplies, counseling, and financial aid to help them overcome unexpected adversities and remain in stable housing.
Over 90% of our adults attain increased employment and save two months’ rent, 90% of our families attain permanent housing, and 90% of our youth improve their academic standing. We are also proud to report that 80% of our graduate families retain permanent housing for twelve months or longer.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Donate non-perishable food items for our Annual November Food Drive
Host a Drive at your school or organization to impact our families by supplying items from our requested list of non-perishable foods.
Volunteer your time and effort by empowering our youth in our youth development program, organizing our donations & food pantry, or participating in a service project. Sign-up for volunteer opportunities with Thomas House by emailing martha@thomashouseshelter.org.
Donate money to help us continue supporting our families with the resources and services needed to become independent and self-sufficient.
Spread the Word by sharing, commenting, and posting about our Thomas House events and the impact you are making in our community through our shelter on social media.
With your support, our families will have safe shelter, healthy, wholesome food, and the supportive services to heal and move forward in their lives.
We look forward to partnering with you to end hunger and homelessness in Orange County!