THE CROWD:Luau fundraiser for Serving People In Need

A gathering of 120 guests raised $35,000 for the Serving People In Need organization.

The group’s third-annual summer luau benefit was last weekend at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Hotel on the Pacific Coast.

Mary Lou Shattuck chaired the evening, with assistance from Sue McGraw, Pat McDaniel, Alice Zamboni, Jan Charrier, and Joan Lund.

The evening began with a cocktail reception featuring summer mai tais accompanied by a raffle purchase for a chance to win a Tahitian black pearl necklace. The Hawaiian Experience provided Polynesian music as the crowd arrived with plenty of the Aloha spirit.

They came to support an organization that has been established in this community for some time but often does not receive an appropriate amount of fanfare because it is not one of the glamour charities. Instead, Serving People In Need is a roll-up-your-sleeves, person-to-person organization dedicated to helping the homeless and working-poor individuals and families in this community find a road to self-sufficiency.

Serving People In Need has developed three programs. First, a housing placement program called Guided Assistance to Permanent Placement, which offers move-in costs for families with children leaving shelter programs in search of a permanent place to live.

The second program is called the Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program, which provides indigent individuals with financial assistance to enable them to move into an approved recovery home while they seek employment.

Finally, Serving People In Need funds a Street Services Program, which provides 350 meals each week to the homeless in Orange County and also distributes life-saving items, including warm clothing, blankets, hygiene kits and other necessities.

Every dollar raised at the luau will make a difference in someone’s life.

In the crowd were Thomas and Pat McDaniel, Michael and Linda Howit, Richard and Kim Crawford, Barry and Jenny Porteous, Ronald and Peggy Guziak, Don and Sue McGraw, Trina and Bill Daymude, and Greg and Jan Charrier.

Also front and center was the very generous Mayer family, the evening’s major underwriters.

The Robert Mayer Corp. was saluted for its dedication to Serving People in Need. Attending were Mike and Mary Mayer as well as Amy, Zack and Haley Mayer.

Following the cocktail reception and silent auction, guests were treated to an oceanfront dining experience infused with a tropical palate.

It began with a salad of hearts of romaine with mango, shaved Maui onion, cilantro and citrus balsamic dressing.

The entrée was coconut and macadamia nut-crusted chicken paired with grilled mahi-mahi.

For dessert, there were more Hawaiian delicacies in the form of chocolate macadamia nut pie.

Shattuck welcomed special guests of the evening in what was a warm and emotional heartfelt tribute to the work of Serving People In Need and citizens of this community who have made a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.

Shattuck added a special opportunity at the end of the program that was called Provide a Home. Audience members pledged certain amounts that they would donate each month during the year to help a needy family find a home.

Also supporting the organization were Joe and Jean Cornyn, Bob and Anne Gilroy, Matt and Betsy Cooper, Edward and Jean Rimpau, David and Debbie Reischman, Danny and Erin Nichols, Doug and Sherry Mewes, Cindy Picquelle, Barbara Weaver, Matt and Kimberly Smith, and distinguished and dedicated Executive Director Jean Wegener.

For more information on the work of the organization, please call Wegener at (714) 751-1101, ext. 12.