Newport-Mesa agencies ensure a holiday for all

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- Karen McGlinn of Share Our Selves has spent the last

week feeding people Thanksgiving dinners.

“We started distributing food bags last Thursday,” she said. “We put

in chicken, produce, pies and all sorts of wonderful things.”

The idea was to start early so they could serve as many people as

possible, she said.

“Easily we will have distributed 1,500 bags of wonderful food,”

McGlinn said, giving a quick tally of each day’s distribution this week.

McGlinn reports handing out 200 turkeys and 350 bags of groceries

Tuesday after reaching the same numbers Monday.

By the Wednesday night, she expected to have given out about 450 bags

of foodstuffs.

Share Our Selves is one of 17 charities in Costa Mesa and two in

Newport Beach that receive food from the Second Harvest Food Bank of

Orange County, said Nicole Thompson, development manager of the food

bank.

The food pantry’s “Operation Gobble” has distributed hundreds of

turkeys throughout Orange County, she added.

Among the Newport-Mesa organizations helped by the Second Harvest are

the Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa, the Vineyard Christian

Fellowship Church in Costa Mesa, Friends in Service to Humanity of

Newport Beach and Serving People in Need of Costa Mesa -- all of which

are helping their local communities this holiday season.

Serving People in Need, which feeds 300 homeless people each week,

also ensured that 18 needy families were adopted by local families who

provided turkey dinners, said Sylvia Herrera, program director.

“I wish people could see some of what is going on down here,” McGlinn

said. “It’s just amazing.”