COSTA MESA : Restaurants Receive Call for Food Aid

Share Our Selves of Costa Mesa, a nonprofit, all-volunteer agency that responds to the emergency needs of Orange County’s poor, has asked restaurants to donate food to the agency.

Jean Forbath, SOS director, cited a “tremendous need” for prepared food for the homeless and noted that a number of Orange County restaurants, caterers and food services already donate excess food to the agency, but more is always needed.

Contributors now include catering trucks that bring food to SOS at the end of the day and test kitchens at both Grace Restaurant Service in Irvine and Showley-Wrightson in Newport Beach.

Some restaurants, SOS personnel said, “just bring food by, without identifying themselves.”

Rex Chandler, owner of Rex Restaurant and The Oyster Bar & Grill in Newport Beach, issued his own challenge last week to fellow restaurateurs.

Chandler, a five-year board member of the Orange County chapter of the American Red Cross, also asked that restaurants designate Saturday as “November 4th for the Red Cross” and donate 10% of the day’s receipts to the Red Cross disaster fund.

Chandler said the fund has been seriously depleted by Red Cross services to Bay Area residents after the earthquake and to victims of Hurricane Hugo.

SOS is at 661 Hamilton St. in Costa Mesa. Further information is available by calling (714) 642-3451.

Restaurants wishing to participate in the Red Cross fund program may contact Chandler at (714) 675-2566.