TEAM OC is holding a food drive on November 13, 2011 at Masuda Middle School to support the Orange County Chapter of the Raise Foundation – prevention child abuse.

“We know that of the primary factors that lead to child abuse and neglect, one of the chief factors is stress. We know that a family that makes $15,000 a year or less in income is 24% more likely to have child abuse issues in the family than that of a family making $30,000 a year or more. This is the stress of poverty or the stress of not having the means to provide adequately for the family. If the stress on a family can be reduced, the chances for the occurrence of child abuse in the family are also reduced. Our Caring for Kids Community program helps reduce the stress on a family by helping the parent(s) provide for family basic needs. Additionally however, it opens the window of opportunity for us to introduce the families to the availability of counseling services, domestic violence prevention services, nutrition classes, health insurance options for their children, etc. According to the Center for the Study of Social Policy, strengthening families is the proven method for reducing maltreatment. Our Caring for Kids Community Program is designed to provide critical support to families at the most basic level, i.e. food, diapers, beds and bedding, cribs, etc. With its high volume of giving, the program makes a tremendous impact on the communities it assists. For instance, this October, we distributed over 3,200 lbs. of bread and dairy products (eggs, milk, cheese, etc.) to households, which served an estimated 400 people per week. We currently provide services out of six family resource centers as well as aboard Resources in Motion (RIM), our mobile family resource center the first and only of its kind in Orange County. “ (http://prevent-child-abuse.thegivingeffect.com )

Goods needed include the following:
Assorted non-perishable food & drink, baking ingredients, canned goods, cereal and breakfast foods, cookies, snacks, grains, pasta, and bottled water.

THANK YOU!!!