SOS brings in the food

Deepa Bharath

Those looking for a little help to put festive food on their table

this Thursday can get it from a Westside organization.

Share Our Selves, a local nonprofit organization that has helped

thousands of families celebrate Thanksgiving for the last 35 years

will do it again, as it gives away 300 baskets or more every day. It

began doling out the goodies last week.

The group, with the help of its strong base of donors and

volunteers, puts together bags with turkeys, vegetables, canned goods

and bread, said Karen McGlinn, executive director of Share Our

Selves.

“We always try to pack generous bags so no one leaves here feeling

that they won’t have enough to eat on Thanksgiving Day,” she said.

The bags will be given out to anyone who comes asking for them,

McGlinn said. Donations from corporations, local restaurants, such as

the Yard House, and individual donations make it possible for Share

Our Selves to do this year after year, she said.

“This year, we started handing them out earlier so that people can

plan their holidays and their finances,” McGlinn said.

About 200 volunteers help sort the donations and put them in bags

as needed, program director Barbara Pender said.

Share Our Selves has been getting a higher volume of calls this

year than in previous years, she said.

“It’s probably indicative of a greater need out in the community,”

she said.

The operation is entirely done by the volunteers, who put in many

extra hours of work during the busy holiday season, Pender said.

“They do everything right, from driving around and picking up the

food from the merchants to sorting and packing them,” she said.

They usually hand out one bag per family, but the quantity of food

depends on the size of the family, Pender said. They will distribute

the bags from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. today.

“We also try to put in a variety of food in there,” she said.

“We’ll have turkey or chicken, depending on what’s available. We’ll

have fresh produce, canned goods, bread and sometimes even pies.”

It’s often heartening for employees and volunteers to see the

gratitude and relief on people’s faces upon receiving the food,

Pender said.

“People are happy to get some help,” she said. “They’re pretty

grateful for it.”

But Share Our Selves was not the only organization distributing

food to the Westside on Tuesday.

The CM 900, an arm of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, gave

away 125 boxes of food to families in need in the Shalimar area.

This is the fifth year the 35-member group has done this in

collaboration with the Shalimar Learning Center, Costa Mesa Chamber

of Commerce President Ed Fawcett said.

“The members donate 125 turkeys and various items from frozen pies

to fruits and vegetables and dish towels, toothpaste and

toothbrushes,” he said.

“So it’s not just food.”

The group also gets donations of tamales, tortillas and canned

goods from local businesses, Fawcett said.

“A couple of auto dealerships even donate vehicles so we can drop

people back home so they won’t have to carry the heavy boxes and deal

with three kids at the same time,” he said.

They ask that the families get there by 11 a.m., Fawcett said.

“But then, even when we get there, there are a few people already

lined up,” he said.

“For us, this has always been a rewarding experience.”

* DEEPA BHARATH is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

She may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or by e-mail at

deepa.bharath@latimes.com.