The solution to homelessness is affordable housing. Until that goal is reached we strive to support our neighbors without a home by serving meals and donating food and other supplies.
Below are ways that WNH members are participating in direct service. Fill out this form to get involved!
Join Welcoming Neighbors Home members in preparing and serving a meal to over 40 people without homes on the last Thursday of each month at Laguna Beach's Friendship Shelter. Since the start of the pandemic, volunteers have prepared food separately and dropped meals off at the shelter to be served in a buffet style by staff. To contribute food, sign up below.
Food donations will go to local organizations serving those without homes. The drop off hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to noon. There will be a blue bucket outside of Tapestry (23676 Birtcher Drive, Lake Forest, CA, 92620) where food donations can be left. If you can't leave your home do to health concerns, but still wish to donate food, you can do so by filling out the form below.
Especially needed for those who are unhoused are healthy small serving size foods, and small containers with pop off lids that do not need to be heated, such as pork and beans, beanie wienies, tuna/crackers combos, canned fruit. Sometimes people are able to get access to hot water – so instant oatmeal, cup-of-soup, cup-of-noodles, and instant drink mix can work.
These are other foods are also wanted for those who have homes but are food-insecure: Pasta - Penne, Ziti, Fusilli, Hearty Soups, 2 lb Bags of Beans, Cereal, Pasta Sauce (Red & White), Cereal, Protein Bars, 2 lb Bags of Rice, Instant Soups, Dinner Helpers, Canned Fruit, Canned Pasta Meals, Canned Chicken, Macaroni & Cheese, Canned Beef Stew, baby foods and diapers.
Welcoming Neighbors Home has run several kit drives, collecting thousands of food and hygiene items for those without homes in South Orange County. Kits are put together in reusable backpacks or bags, and they typically contain a meal, nonperishable snacks, socks, mittens, sunscreen, a note of compassion, and hygiene items like toothpaste, floss, shampoo, bathing wipes, and a comb. Click on the link here to find a full list of items and instructions for making a kit at home, or fill out the form below if you are interested in starting a kit donation drive.
