Adopt a family for the holidays or help in other ways

Sponsors are needed for the annual South County Outreach Adopt-A-Family program, which has paired the adopters with families since 1997 to provide food, toys and clothing for the holidays.

Sponsors provide groceries for Thanksgiving and December holiday meals as well as toys and presents for the children. Sponsors can request to be matched according to family size, the ages of the children and the city of residence.

Donations and volunteers are also needed.

Toy and food drives and cash donations support South County Outreach during the holiday season. Donations for the toy drive, which runs through Dec. 18, can be dropped off at the program offices, 7 Whatney, Suite B, Irvine.

The South County Outreach food pantry will be transformed Dec. 20 into a holiday toy store where client parents can choose donated toys for their children. The gifts will be wrapped on site.

Meanwhile, volunteers are needed to serve as food pantry workers, front office administrative support, marketing assistants, truck drivers, computer lab instructors and coordinators, rental and utility assistance care workers, thrift store sorters and sales support, and Saturday morning cleaning crew helpers.

The Irvine-based Outreach also serves Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.

For more information, visit https://www.sco-oc.org/holiday-adopt-a-family.

— from staff reports