OUR 8TH ANNUAL CAMPAIGN RUNS
JUNE 1 – 30, 2024
2024 FOOD FROM THE BAR TOOLKIT
Have questions? Contact Megan Hunker at 949-208-3187
or megan@feedoc.org.
ALREADY REGISTERED AND READY TO ENGAGE?
Virtual Food Drive
This is a great way to get your staff, family, friends and community involved to help raise funds to have an even greater impact on hunger.
Volunteer:
Food From The Bar volunteer opportunities available at our Distribution Center and Harvest Solutions Farm. CLICK HERE to view and register for FFTB volunteer shifts.
Please join us for our annual Family & Friends Volunteer Day on Saturday, June 22. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to register!
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 ADVISORY BOARD
BILL SCHAAL
Title – TBD
Rutan & Tucker, LLP
Click to read bio
Rutan & Tucker’s IP Partner, Bill Schaal, brings a wealth of experience in securing patent protection for his clients’ technological advancements. With over 30 years of legal expertise, Bill has helped a wide range of companies, from startups to international corporations, build strong patent portfolios. These patent portfolios have included patents directed to technologies that most everyone has used at one time or another. Given his electrical engineering background, Bill’s practice tends to focus on assisting Rutan’s clients in securing patents across many high-technology sectors such as computer electronics, mechanical and medical devices, networking architectures, software, and data security.
In addition to heading Rutan’s IP department in 2023, Bill is actively involved in the community and has been a longstanding board member for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. His dedication to improving the lives of others in our community is consistent with the core values of Rutan, one of the largest full-service law firms in Orange County committed to serving our community through pro bono legal work and supporting over 200 charitable programs and philanthropic initiatives in California.
VAR FOX
Executive Vice President
Judicate West
Click to read bio
Var Fox is a principal of Judicate West and a member of the executive committee. In addition to helping grow and run the company, Var oversees legal matters, risk management and ethics for Judicate West. Var was one of Judicate West’s first Case Managers, and continues to serve as a very effective trainer and mentor to the case management team. He is an expert on ADR rules and processes and uses this knowledge and experience to quickly assess the needs of clients; this is the reason so many JW clients seek his case consulting expertise in helping to select the right neutrals for their cases.
Var began his career in the ADR industry in 1990 with Judicate, Inc., The National Private Court System, located in New York. In 1993, he and his partner bought out the company’s West Coast interests and formed Judicate West. Since then, Var has been a guiding force in the outstanding growth and success of the firm. On the personal side, Var is active in many charitable endeavors, always looking to help those in need. Var holds a second-degree black belt in Kung Fu (which he earned in 2000), enjoys fitness on a daily basis and watching sports, his favorites being baseball and boxing.
Var says, “I’m passionate about supporting the Second Harvest Food Bank of OC and have actively participated in their Food From The Bar campaign for several years. Their dedication to supplying nourishment to those facing hunger is incredibly significant. In our family, we’ve instilled the importance of counting our blessings by helping those in need, and we strongly believe that no one should ever suffer from hunger.”
MELISSA GORIN
Director of Marketing
Judicate West
Click to read bio
Melissa is based out of the Corporate Headquarters in Santa Ana and brings more than 15 years of experience in private dispute resolution to her role. Joining Judicate West in 2013, she oversees all marketing, advertising, and public relations. With a focus on creating a unified and influential brand presence, Melissa leads a dynamic team, leveraging her expertise to drive strategic marketing initiatives. In addition to her marketing responsibilities, she is integral to business development and neutral practice management.
Melissa holds an MBA from the Graziadio School of Business Management at Pepperdine University, complemented by a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute. Outside of the office, she has a passion for travel.
Says Melissa, “As a firm believer in social responsibility, I am proud to support organizations such as Second Harvest, and their commitment to providing those in need access to nutritious food. Through my involvement, I hope to raise awareness and inspire others to join the fight against hunger and food insecurity.”
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 SPONSORS!
CONGRATULATIONS AND OUR THANKS TO THE 2023 AWARD RECIPIENTS
Pro Bono Publico Award “For the Public Good” – Rutan & Tucker, LLP
Rockstar Rainmaker (large) – Orange County Trial Lawyers Association
Rockstar Rainmaker (medium) – Judicate West
Rockstar Rainmaker (small) – Houser LLP
Rockstar “Rangler” – Lee Stonum, OC Alternate Defender
Rockstar Rookie – Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP
Raising the Bar – Bobby Saadian, Wilshire Law Firm
Rockstar Voluntarius – Call & Jensen, APC
Jill Wilson decided to volunteer with Second Harvest in 2008 when she was in between jobs and looking for a way to apply her talents that could benefit the community. She arrived one day at Second Harvest’s former distribution center in Orange, ready to serve, and felt immediately connected to the mission.
Like Jill and Ian, other friends of the food bank may be looking for ways to connect meaningfully with Second Harvest to help those experiencing hunger in Orange County for years to come. One simple way to make a significant impact, while achieving peace of mind, is by creating a will or revocable living trust with our partner, FreeWill.
March is National Nutrition Month, an annual awareness campaign that encourages us to learn about nutrition, develop healthy eating habits and discover the fun of being physically active. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, we strive to provide everyone in Orange County with the nutrition they need to grow and excel in life.
Last spring, here at Second Harvest we completely revamped our focus to proactively purchase fresh nutrition for those in need, ensuring a steady pipeline of protein, dairy, eggs, fruits and vegetables to our approximately 300 partner and program sites. As a next step, we recently unveiled our new, 6,200-square-foot cold storage facility and two additional cold docks that establish a “cold chain” at our distribution center in Irvine. This gives us a total of 14,550 square feet of cold storage, which greatly enhances our ability to source and distribute more nutritious food.
Second Harvest continues to fight increasing food insecurity through our Pop-Up Drive Thru food distributions with the help of many amazing volunteers and it is no surprise that many of them are mothers. Jacqueline is one such volunteer and I wanted to learn more of her story.
here to volunteer representing other mothers…to give back to the community, to be a role model to my children. As a mother, as a woman, as a friend, as a wife…you have so many hats you have to put on and one of them is giving. When I go home my daughter asks me, “Mom what did you do today?” And I say, “I got to give back to people, people that really don’t have as much as we do.” Hopefully she sees me doing this and then as she gets older, she’ll want to give back just the same way.”
Pantry. Their style traditionally has always been very welcoming and focused on building relationships with those they serve. They would put out coffee and pastries and spend time talking with the families who would come early just to socialize.
One of Nancy’s key volunteers, Mary Kaye, also shared insights. Mary Kaye is an emergency room doctor who has been spending much of her spare time serving at the Saint Timothy pantry. She began volunteering pre-COVID by taking blood pressures on pantry days and translating for Spanish-speaking clients.. All the changes have her missing conversations and connecting with the families they serve.
can take your blood pressure soon,” and encouraging them.”
Whatever the situation that keeps students on campus and struggling to feed themselves, the Fresh Basic Needs Hub at UCI remains open to serve them, supported by food from Second Harvest. Student hunger is a serious challenge, made even worse by the pandemic, but Fresh, as it’s called, has the mission to provide for the basic needs of UCI students, allowing them to focus on academics.
Last week did not feel hopeful. Seeing the injustice of the past few days makes me cringe. It causes me to grieve when I see people treated unfairly or worse. But I’m choosing to move forward with hope. How can I have hope this week? Because I know Andrea and I see how she treats people who sometimes feel trapped. The team at Fresh, and all the other college pantries in Orange County serve as a lifeline for their students, providing for basic needs and offering a dignified experience for everyone who comes to them for help. Their service is a beacon of hope in the darkness.
redirected those emotions toward survival and humility. While it was a very difficult decision, Stephen and Kristina decided that in order to make it through this crisis, they would need to receive assistance the first time in their lives. This is what it means to be newly vulnerable.