Volunteers for the food bank at St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in Cypress are called H.O.P.E. (Help Other People Everyday) and they have been working for months to gather food for gift boxes that was given to needy families for Christmas time on Saturday, Dec. 21.
Volunteers for the food bank at St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in Cypress are called H.O.P.E. (Help Other People Everyday) and they have been working for months to gather food for gift boxes that was given to needy families for Christmas time on Saturday, Dec. 21.
With money raised from their fundraiser at Knott’s Berry Farm in November, and funds donated by individuals and businesses, H.O.P.E. volunteers purchased food from Second Harvest Food Bank. Donations were also received from local businesses, St. Irenaeus parishioners, St. Irenaeus students and their families along with donations from other local schools.
An army of H.O.P.E. volunteers gathered at the Education Building of St. Irenaeus Church in Cypress on Saturday, Dec. 14 to fill 280 boxes and 80 paper bags with non-perishable food for needy families. Students from Kennedy High School in La Palma, Oxford Academy in Cypress and St. Irenaeus School arrived at 8 a.m. or earlier to help with the work. H.O.P.E. members and other St. Irenaeus parishioners were already there getting supplies ready and preparing refreshments for the workers. They all were ready and eager to help.
Cypress College student Omar Pina was in charge of the food boxing day. Pina spent hours beforehand organizing and setting up all the tables and many different food items. It allowed volunteers to fill their boxes quickly in an assembly line fashion. Pena did an outstanding job of preparing everything in the Education Building so that the process of boxing of food would go smoothly.
Parishioner Mick Vincenti was in charge of opening up the 280 empty boxes that were to be filled. He and about 20 students from Kennedy High School helped to open up cardboard boxes. Later they and other strong men helped carry the filled boxes to a storage unit where they remained until Distribution Day on Dec. 21.
Mick’s wife, Dee Vincenti, will be in charge of Distribution Day. She said that she would love to have more volunteers come to help with carrying boxes laden with food for needy families that will come to the food bank on that day.
