Soccer league gives $2,000 to feed students

A local soccer league wants to help hungry college students from Costa Mesa’s Westside.

The California Youth Soccer League donated $2,000 to the Orange Coast College Foundation on Wednesday to pay for meals for students.

“We’re hoping to help students, especially in the Westside area,” said Humberto Caspa, who urged the league’s board to give back to the community.

The soccer league is a nonprofit with more than 600 kids between the ages of 4 and 12, Caspa said. About 98% of the players are from Costa Mesa.

They money will be used to buy $200 meal cards that students can use in the cafeteria, said foundation Director Douglas Bennett. It translates to about three meals a week, he said.

The idea came from Caspa’s own experiences at UC Irvine struggling to feed himself, he said.

The scholarship will be open to any Westside Costa Mesa resident.

— Britney Barnes