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Helping Hearts

Straight Talk, Inc.’s Helping Hearts is a collaborative effort that collects food from grocery stores. Immediately after collecting the food, Helping Hearts delivers it directly to numerous homeless shelters, treatment programs, local churches and homes across Orange County to help prevent hunger and other associated aliments that plague those in need. In a thank you letter to Helping Hearts, Judy Kampmann of American Family Housing writes, “By sharing in our concern, you prove that together we can overcome hunger and homelessness….”

According to the FAO, it is stated that, “Hunger and poverty claim 25,000 lives every day,” even though there is enough food to feed our entire global population. The World Food Program has found that one reason why nearly one in seven people go hungry, and one in three children are underweight is because we currently lack the necessary resources to efficiently distribute surplus food. This is why each day Helping Hearts prevents as much food as they can from being wasted so it will instead nourish the hungry and those in need.

Various grocery stores and other food suppliers donate meat, deli, dairy, bread, fresh vegetables and grocery items. Orange County has many families and individuals in need of these resources, and the truth is that the recourses are available, but are often displaced.

The Orange County Register stated that the homeless population locally has tripled since 1998. In these difficult economic times, as many families loose their homes, jobs and resources to provide for their families, food becomes a life sustaining commodity. Approximately 39% of the homeless populations in America are children (urban institute 2000) and these statistics are relevant in Orange County.

“Federal statistics suggest that nearly 26 million tons of food waste is generated annually in the U.S.,” claims Food Waste Management. Helping Hearts hopes to receive greatly needed support so that we can not only help prevent many more people from going hungry, but so we can also significantly reduce the amount of safe and edible food from being needlessly wasted each day. Straight Talk, Helping Hearts provides food to those in need at no cost and utilizes hundreds of volunteers throughout Orange County each week.

We give a special thanks to all the tireless dedicated volunteers and employees who give so freely to this important cause and program. If you are interested in volunteering – WE NEED YOU.

Helping Hearts has grown from 500lbs per week to over 10 tons per week in less than 6 months! The need will continue to grow with the difficult economic times…..