Six days a week, Sundays being the exception, The HUB Resource Center in Orange serves a free hot meal to people who are homeless and in need.
The same goes for the basic services that the HRC, as it is known, provides to its patrons: showers, laundry, mail retrieval, clothing distribution and more.
That mix of food and services remained ongoing Thursday at the West Struck Avenue site, but with some special fare and activities to mark Thanksgiving Day.
A traditional holiday meal with turkey and trimmings has been a staple at the HRC since it began operating in 2022 under contract with the City of Orange.
About 120 people came by for the inaugural Thanksgiving meal and were served by perhaps 30 volunteers. Back then, they ate at roadside plastic tables because of lack of space.
This year, with full access to the city-owned site at 517 W. Struck Avenue and plenty of food, some 200 people were expected to be fed by the time three hours of serving stopped at noon.
A volunteer crew of about 100 had signed up to pick up the side dishes and desserts from different donors around the city, set up the tables and chairs, dish up the food, and helping with karaoke, line dancing and other post-meal fun.
Volunteers also handled the cleanup.
Everything was intended to “show dignity, respect, love, care and compassion for the unhoused,” said Colleen Lovret, director of volunteers for The HUB OC, the umbrella nonprofit organization that operates the HRC and several other programs in Orange for those in need.
The Thanksgiving turnout reflects the overall growth of the HRC over the past three years.
It also symbolizes the deepening presence of the HUB OC, which since 2020 has established about a half-dozen community-based programs, including: Youth Centers of Orange after-school care; the apartment-based HUB Community Center that offers holistic support for families living in low-income housing; and Full Circle Marketplace, a thrift store in Old Towne Orange that generates revenue for other programs and clothing to distribute to homeless people and needy families.
That ability to expand the number of people being served and services being offered topped the gratitude list for the resource center’s operators.
They gave thanks to the local community – volunteers, donors, partnering organizations and supportive politicians – for all the support.
“All of our programs work seamlessly together,” said Tammy McMullen, director of programs for The HUB OC.
“It’s the only reason, I feel, that we are as successful as we are.”
‘Helps people feel dignified’
Crucial to growing the homeless outreach at the HRC is $3 million in state funding awarded last year.
That money was secured by two state legislators, Sen. Tom Umberg and Assemblymember Avelino Valencia, whose individual districts include Orange. The award gave the HRC the wherewithal to hire two case managers in 2024 to work closely on-site with homeless people, connecting them to stabilizing resources.
Previously, partner organizations were relied on for that kind of individual attention that is so key to helping people recover their lives. Now it can happen on-site with a bond of trust developed between patrons and providers.
The result so far: 47 homeless individuals placed in permanent housing through the efforts of the HRC just this past year.
That’s out of a total of 56 people permanently housed since the HRC began operating, Cameron Geringer-Pate, director of grants and strategic partnerships, said during a recent interview along with McMullen and Lovret.
Since 2022, 600 people have been steered to temporary housing at emergency shelters or other residential programs to address such issues as substance abuse and mental illness.
Recently, the number of case managers more than doubled from two to five.
“We’re really, really excited about what this next year is going to look like for us,” Geringer-Pate said.
“Our plan is to basically double what we’ve been doing.”
The HUB OC also seeks to build sustainability at the resource center.
Operators have stepped up efforts to obtain grants and tap into federal, state and municipal dollars intended to address homelessness. Those sources now account for 86 percent of the HRC funding stream. Individual donors make up the rest.
Geringer-Pate said the HRC operates on an annual $1.1 million budget and works with some 250 partner organizations from around the county. Back in 2023, after a year of operation, partner organizations numbered about 60.
The $3 million in state funding awarded last year gave the HRC a cushion to draw down on as it seeks other funding to build a strong foundation.
Of that money, $1 million is going toward improving the site with such additions as a designated space for families with children and use of upgraded sheds for such things as an indoor check-in station.
Regular restrooms to replace portable toilets and more showers are being added.
Anywhere from 150 to 200 people in need visit for one service or another on a typical day at the HRC. Some 3,000 pick up their mail there. Other offerings, some provided by local small businesses, include medical, dental and vision treatment, haircuts, and recreational and self-improvement classes.
The resource center uses a ticket-based appointment process, so that patrons are not only spared having to wait in lines, perhaps fueling frustration, but also engage in actions intended to promote a sense of purpose.
“It helps people feel dignified,” Geringer-Pate said. “It also helps people get back into the routine of, ‘Here’s your appointment, be ready.’ This is it.”
Step up distribution
The HRC is located on Struck where the old Mary’s Kitchen soup kitchen and gathering spot for homeless people had operated for about two decades. (Replaced by the city as part of a 2022 court settlement, Mary’s Kitchen Pantry now operates out of Anaheim as a food rescue and mobile pop-up pantry service.)
On Thursday, as is usual, the HRC gates opened from 7 a.m. for patrons to access the showers, washing machines and other amenities. The Thanksgiving meal began being served at 9 a.m.
The turkey was prepared by the HRC’s everyday food provider, Bracken’s Kitchen, a nonprofit social enterprise that produces more than 1 million meals annually for homeless individuals, impoverished families, and others in need. Bracken’s Kitchen also provided gravy, pumpkin cake and bread pudding.
Other donors pitched in extra side dishes and desserts, including stuffing, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese from Marie Callender’s and Friends Church Orange; vegetables from On Thyme Catering; and dinner rolls and desserts from Chef Jason Mercado’s Sweet Mission Cookie Company.
The Thanksgiving Day meal was part of a HUB OC effort throughout November to step up food distribution to folks whose economic circumstances were worsened by the 43-day federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.
In addition to helping stock a food pantry at Palmyra Elementary in Orange, the HUB OC initiated a community drive that supplied struggling families whose children attend Orange Unified School District schools with dry goods and household supplies.
A Thanksgiving drive helped The HUB OC deliver, with the assistance of volunteers, 320 frozen turkeys to local school families, 80 to school food pantries, and 90 to the HUB Community Center.
The HUB OC also hosted a pre-Thanksgiving Day sit-down turkey dinner for 250 people at Palmyra Elementary last week. Local businesses and restaurants donated the food.
Said volunteer director Lovret of the entire Thanksgiving effort: “We just have a community of people that are incredible.”