A festival of help

This corrects an earlier version of the story.

The blood donor center at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian serves the hospital’s 2,000 monthly inpatients as needed.

When those supplies are low, as they are now, officials said, the public’s help is critical.

According to The Center for Spiritual Discovery, there were more than 26,000 cases of child abuse in Orange County as recently as four years ago. Seniors struggle to buy food and thousands of kids live in low-rent motels. Again, the public’s help is needed.

Organizations looking to help others are always seeking ways to get the public involved, and a festival hosted by the spiritual center Sunday, is the perfect way to help the local community, organizers say.

“We normally see people that want to give back to society, who want to help out their fellow man,” said Joan Wise, a festival organizer.

Those looking to help can find those answers and more at this year’s People Helping People Festival in Costa Mesa. For one day, Newport-Mesa residents can drop by the festival and get information on how to donate blood or to volunteer for any of several nonprofits offering information there.

At least 30 nonprofit organizations are expected to participate, offering information and sign-ups to help people.

A barbecue lunch with hot dogs, lemonade and a ticket to the festival’s concert are free for anyone who signs up for as little as one hour a month to volunteer with a local nonprofit organization or to give blood. Either way, organizers say, those in need will win.

Among the groups scheduled to be set up at the festival are the Orange County Interfaith Shelter, Share Our Selves, Women Helping Women, Moses Fund and Tias Arms, an organization helping children with AIDS in Africa.

The free festival is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at 695 W. 19th St., across from the DMV.

Food and concert tickets are available to purchase.

For more information, call (714) 754-7399.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at [email protected].