THE CHILI MOBILE - Mobile Food Outreaches
The Chili-Mobile (mobile food pantry) provides hot meals, beverages, and bread to thousands of at-risk people in poverty-stricken areas of Orange County several times a week.
The outreach unexpectedly began after a 35-pound chocolate Santa Claus was donated to His Chaplain For You. Founder, Roy Gerber, was looking for a way to share it with the homeless at Christmas. Gerber said, "I wasn't really looking for another project, but I made a few phone calls to shelters and hospitals and no one wanted it. So I called to ask my friends to donate some chili, bread and coffee to provide a complete meal (with the chocolate Santa as dessert) to the homeless at Christmas."
After nearly 100 homeless and poverty-stricken individuals and families with children showed up for Christmas, Gerber decided to continue the outreach for as long as donors are willing to provide the financial resources and volunteer time.
On a typical evening the team serves up to 120 pounds of chili, 300 cups of coffee and dozens of loaves of fresh bakery bread out of what has become the 'Chili-Mobile' vehicle.
Thanks to generous donations from local Orange County residents and corporate sponsors such as The Waterfront Hilton, Cambro Manufacturing Company and Market Broiler, the His Chaplain For You and Paws For Cause team is able to provide a warm meal to hundreds of people who are either homeless or don't have enough money to put food on the table each day.
Join Us on Wednesday Evenings in cooperation with Paws for a Cause:
These events provide homeless and low income families with a free meal, as well as the opportunity to interact and receive encouragement from Paws For Cause therapy dog teams.
Date / Time: - Every Wednesday Evening
- 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Location:- The Child Development Center Parking Lot
- 17341 Jacquelyn Lane
- Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Information:- Send e-mail to
or call Roy Gerber at 714-655-1242.
- Bring Family and Friends
Join Us on Thursday Evenings in cooperation with Paws for a Cause:
These events provide homeless and low income families with a free meal, as well as the opportunity to interact and receive encouragement from Paws For Cause therapy dog teams.
Date / Time:- Every Thursday Evening
- 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Location:- Civic Center area
- Civic Center Drive
- Santa Ana, CA 92701
Information:- Send e-mail to
or call Roy Gerber at 714-655-1242.
- Bring Family and Friends
Many Different Ways to Help!
A regular group of volunteers arrives early in the afternoon to cook chili, make coffee, slice bread and load the truck. When they arrive at the area at 5PM, they are always greeted with inviting smiles from the waiting people who are so grateful to receive a warm meal and a hot cup of coffee.
Recent nights have brought 200 to 300 people to the dinner. Plans are now underway to expand to three nights per week in Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa.
Donations of cash, canned chili, coffee and other items make this possible. The team welcomes you, your friends, or your family to join them for a night that will have an impact on a homeless person's life, and yours!
Some Sad Statistics:
- - There are over 35,000 incidents of homelessness every year in Orange County (Point in Time Homeless Count and Survey 2007)
- - Orange County has over 790,000 individuals that cannot afford enough food or who are victims of hunger (Orange County Food Bank Report 2007)
- - Over 14% of individuals in Orange County (over 430,000 individuals - of these 40,000 are children) do not have health insurance (Orange County Health Needs Assessment Report, 2005)
- - In Orange County there are approximately 150,000 households that earn less than $25,000 per year (United States Census Bureau, 2006)
- - Nationwide there are 11 Million forgotten Seniors who are alone
- - Over 110,000 Seniors in Orange County are never visited and are alone
- - With 34 Incorporated cities in OC... there are over 3,235 lonely and forgotten Seniors in your neighborhood
- - 30% - 50% of Hospital Patients in the USA get no visits.
- - Up to 875,000 Patients in US Hospitals spend their day without a loved one or a visitor.
- - That hospital you drive by every day... you know the one we are talking about?
- - Between 80 and 100 Patients in that hospital have nobody who comes to see and visit them
- - May we touch briefly on one more statistics?
- - Has to do with children...
- - We have 514,000 abused and neglected Foster kids in America.
- - In fiscal 2007/2008, there were 41,119 cases of child abuse, neglect or abandonment reported in Orange County
- - Child abuse cases occur in every region of the County.
- - That makes 1209 children per year in your neighborhood
- - Over 2,500 children in Orange County are in foster care system in "out-of-home" care
- - That is over 73 children in walking distance from your home
- - Up to 80% of them will either be dead, homeless or in prison by the age of 25
- - 70% of San Quentin inmates grew up in foster care.
- - Nationwide, over 90% of the young men in prison were either abandoned by their parents, abused and or/lived in the foster care system.
- - Bringing hope, love and encouragement to these kids, seniors, less fortunate and hospital patients became the most important calling of His Chaplain For You.
Mobile Food Outreach 2010 Budget View the budget for these meals, and see how even the smallest donation can help.
Response from the Homeless:
His Chaplain for You, Roy Gerber, recounts a response from a homeless man who was in line for a meal:
- "This man gave one of the volunteers $2 to pay for the meal. When I tried to give it back to him, he said I wish I could give you more - but this is all that I have. We have to keep the blessing going. If everybody would give, we ALL would be okay."
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