A bookish delivery to Someone Cares Soup Kitchen

Stefanie Frith

COSTA MESA -- Trunkloads of books.

More than 500 books to be exact.

That’s how many children’s books were donated to the Someone Cares

Soup Kitchen by board members of the California Reading Assn. on Friday

afternoon.

And it’s just the first step toward a children’s tutoring program the

soup kitchen plans to start in the next two months, said George

Neureuther, the center’s development director.

“It all starts with a lack of education. That’s the reason that there

are [250 to 300] people coming in here every day,” he said. “If we can

help the children, we can help to break the cycle. Then we can have

people come back as volunteers and not as guests.”

Two months ago, members of the California Reading Assn., based in

Costa Mesa, heard the soup kitchen was getting ready to launch a tutoring

program and knew they had to help.

“We heard they didn’t even have a library here, and we said, ‘Let’s do

something,”’ said the group’s director, Kathy Belanger. “And the members

were so willing. We brought trunkloads.”

Books in English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Spanish were gathered by the

members. Others were donated by Scholastic and Houghton Mifflin

publishing companies.

The soup kitchen is looking for volunteers to help with the tutoring

program, as well as researching tutoring companies to oversee the

program.

Once the program begins, parents will be asked to sign an agreement to

allow their children to attend the program at least three times a week.

The session will run from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and will

include lunch and a snack.

“My kids are definitely going to be in the [tutoring] program,” said

John Gasco, a single father of three who has been going to the soup

kitchen for a month. “I am going to use it, and it will be good for when

I am looking for a job. I have to focus on what is good for my kids now.”

To volunteer, call (949) 548-8861 or visit o7

https://www.someonecaressoupkitchen.com.f7