MVHS Teens Trick or Treating to Feed Hungry

Mission Viejo High teens will be trick-or-treating Friday to help about 228,000 Orange County children who face hunger each month.

So far the teens have collected over 14,000 lbs. of food donations.

To find ways to help, see our list at the bottom of this story.

Here's more from Theater Director Kathy Harris:

If you answer a knock on your door on the night of November 1st – a day after Halloween – and you see some bigger kids in costumes, they’re not procrastinators, and it’s no trick.

They’re students from Mission Viejo High School taking part in the 2013 “Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat” food drive, a national community service program organized through the Educational Theatre Association in which member schools collect canned and dry goods for local charities and food banks.

The students won’t be collecting treats for themselves, but rather common food items to help about 228,000 Orange County children who face hunger each month. High schools across the nation are also participating in the program in an effort to provide thousands of pounds of food to help thousands of local people.

“There’s this misconception that there is no one in need in Orange County,” says Kathy Cannarozzi Harris, Theatre Director at MVHS. “But what’s hardly noticed is that there are thousands of people who don’t always know where their next meals are coming from in our own backyard.”

According to recent research conducted by area food banks and the County of Orange:

• 615,000 Orange County residents are at risk of hunger each month and 37% are children.
• 63% of all food stamp recipients in Orange County are children.
• Hunger touches people of every age, race, ethnic group and neighborhood.

The Friday night food collection on November 1 is just the culmination of several activities that MVHS is carrying out during October to support local beneficiaries of the “Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat” food drive, including South County Outreach, St. Kilian’s Food Kitchen and the Second Harvest Food Bank. 

Here are some ways to donate

• Visit area grocery stores every Saturday, from September 21st through November 2, thanks to the kindness and cooperation of companies like Ralph’s, Albertsons and Vons/Pavilions.
• Visit schools and religious institutions in the area. If you have connections at a school, contact lisackellner@aol.com, and if your church, temple or mosque can help, please contact mary.arbor@yahoo.com.
• On the MVHS campus through homeroom contests, at the Oct. 18 football game, and at a ComedySportz match.
• At schools and religious institutions in the area. If you have connections at a school, contact lisackellner@aol.com, and if your church, temple or mosque can help, please contact mary.arbor@yahoo.com.
  
• On the MVHS campus through homeroom contests, at the Oct. 18 football game, and at a ComedySportz match.
• Through donations in name of MVHS via website of one of our beneficiaries. Donors can visit www.sco-oc.org/donation-form/ and enter "MVHS" in “Organization” field.
  

According to Courtney Mauss, vice president of the student drama council and this year’s food drive coordinator, the goal of this year’s is to collect 15,000 lbs of food, which will feed 215 families of four for seven week. “This would be the most food we’ve ever collected, but I think we can do it this year, thanks to the excitement and participation of so many students and generosity of the community,” she says.