Group seeking to retire Someone Cares mortgage

Stefanie Frith

COSTA MESA -- The Someone Cares Soup Kitchen may not have to worry

about its mortgage anymore.

The Orange County-based nonprofit Fairshare 502 is in the process of

raising $308,000 in order to retire the charity’s 30-year mortgage. The

soup kitchen currently pays $28,000 a year on its mortgage. It is in its

fourth year in the building on 17th Street.

“We are flirting with the $308,000, and we won’t guarantee that we’ll

make it,” said Fairshare 502 board member Bill Furlow. “But [a few years

ago] we did retire Share Our Selves’ mortgage. But even if we fall short,

we will still make a huge dent in the mortgage.”

Michael Kang, a founding member of Fairshare 502 and owner of 5 Feet

Restaurant in Laguna Beach, agreed.

“We are still a little ways off. We are somewhere near $200,000,” Kang

said. “But there are still donors out there and I hope we will be able to

achieve our goal. We need to pump this up so we can get more people to

help.”

To help raise the money for the mortgage, the 10-year-old Fairshare

502 will hold a dinner and auction April 29 at the Ritz Carlton in

Newport Beach.

Retiring the mortgage is only one improvement going on at Someone

Cares. The nonprofit organization Christmas in April will be painting the

inside and outside of the soup kitchen on April 28. The charity also

recently received a $48,000 grant that enabled it to replace its roof.

“We feel very honored,” said George Neureuther, Someone Cares

development director. “These improvements and the retired mortgage will

help us provide better for the community. I know that it’s been a dream

of [founder Merle Hatleberg’s] to get this building paid for.”

Along with the fund-raiser and private donations, the center has been

relying on money from local foundations, Furlow said.

“Some of the members on our board have had a long-standing

relationship with Someone Cares so this year we got together and decided

that the event would go toward taking over their mortgage,” Furlow said.

“It [the dinner] will be a black-tie affair with dinner prepared by eight

Orange County chefs, including Michael Kang.”

Fairshare 502 has also helped to raise funds for Serving People in

Need, Loaves and Fishes and Families Forward. Kang said Fairshare 502

will help any group that helps to feed hungry people.

“Merle is just unbelievable and they [Someone Cares] don’t have an

organized fund-raising department. So we want to help to get the

operation running more smoothly,” Kang said. “That’s why every penny from

our event goes toward the cause. [Someone Cares] is our sole beneficiary

this year. They do so much.”

For Neureuther, the help that Someone Cares is receiving from the

community is priceless.

“We are totally amazed and we can never say thanks enough,” he

said.FYI

What: Fund-raiser for Someone Cares Soup Kitchen and a tribute to Ritz

Carlton owner Hans Prager.

When: Sunday, April 29

Time: 5 p.m.

Where: Ritz Carlton, Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach

Price: $250

Phone: (949) 437-5748.