The Whole Truth About Orange County
Posted by Alice Pennington on Monday, August 30, 2010
When you first think of Orange County, do you picture a place similar to the one portrayed in this postcard?
Do you hear the theme song for The O.C.?
Or do you envision the flashy mansions and extravagant parties shown on The Real Housewives of Orange County?
Don’t worry, I wouldn’t blame you if you did. For years, television shows and movies have contributed to the development of the widely-accepted stereotype of Orange County as a place where wealth dominates, beauty is everywhere, and poverty is nonexistent.
Yes, it’s true — Orange County is beautiful, and because of its close proximity to Hollywood and Los Angeles, it is home to many celebrities and a wealthy population tied to the entertainment industry. However, when my colleague, Katherine, and I recently traveled there to visit one of Share Our Strength’s partners on our Summer Meals Tour, we learned that this isn’t the whole truth.
The whole truth includes some shocking statistics:
- 33% of kids in Orange County are at risk of hunger;
- Almost a quarter of the county’s residents live in economic hardship (defined as living at 200% of the poverty level);
- Over 43% of public school students receive free or reduced lunches;
- Almost 9,000 homeless families and over 16,000 homeless children reside in the county, according to the last estimate.
HBO recently highlighted hardship in the county in the documentary Homeless: The Motel Kids of Orange County, which sheds light on the realities faced by the working poor that live in motels surrounding Disneyland.
All sounds pretty shocking, huh?
Well, here’s the good news: Share Our Strength funds and supports an amazing community organization that is working to protect and empower the low-income families that are often overlooked. The Community Action Partnership of Orange County serves over 950,000 people in Orange County every year. Not only do they run a food bank that distributes food through more than 300 local agencies, they also operate two Family Resources Centers where they house programs ranging from food stamp outreach to summer lunch to nutrition education to community organizing.
Last year they helped over 500 new households enroll in the food stamp program, and distributed roughly 425,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables through their Farm to Family program.
I was pretty disheartened to learn how many children in Orange County are facing hunger, but the staff at the Community Action Partnership of Orange County and El Modena Family Resource Center gave me hope. The excitement I heard in their voices as they talked about their programs and recounted success stories was enough to remind me that with the right resources, commitment and relentless leaders, we can create opportunities for lasting change.
Here are two of those voices that inspired me - Alan and Mirabel. I hope they do the same for you.
August 30, 2010 | 2 comment(s) | Tags: california, no kid hungry, summer meals
Comments
2 reader comments so far.
Alice, thank you for telling this story. It is another stark example of how opposite ends of the hunger spectrum co-exist...yet one gets the limelight while the other struggles to have a voice heard. In the shadow of the glitzy Emmy's lies unspeakable hardship, yet strength to overcome it. Thank you for witnessing, and sharing.
Posted by Cate Puzo on August 30, 2010
I wish they would make a TV show about the REAL "Real Housewives of [Fill In The Blank]" that could spread awareness about the mothers in Orange County/DC/Atlanta/NYC/wherever else that meet the challenges of creating real, loving homes for their children in the face of poverty and hunger
Posted by Karen on August 30, 2010
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