A nonprofit that provides hot meals, coffee and clothing to homeless Southern Californians is struggling to recover after its supply trailer was ransacked.
At some point between Sept. 18 and 23, unknown perpetrators broke into the Project Coffee Cup trailer that was parked in an overnight lot in Santa Ana, making off with tables, lights, a grill and other supplies essential for the mobile outreach, according to Jacob Baruch, the organization’s founder.
The nonprofit, which provides resources and assistance for homeless individuals in the area of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Ana, has now turned to GoFundMe for help replacing the stolen items.
“This theft has made it extremely difficult for us to continue our weekly outreach,” the fundraising page reads. “As a nonprofit, we operate solely on donations, and the loss of this equipment has been devastating.”
Baruch, of Lake Elsinore, came up with the idea for Project Coffee Cup after seeing his parents, who had struggled with drug addiction since his youth, use their later years of clarity to help others. Baruch was familiar with the loneliness that accompanies addiction, and in 2010 began to converse with homeless individuals resting outside gas stations or convenient stores over a cup of coffee.
“It was common when my mom sobered up, when my parents both sobered up, to see them get hope and want to share positivity,” Baruch said. “Even though we struggled, it wasn’t uncommon to see her share a bag of rice, beans, or pick up a coffee for a friend.”
After his mother died of cancer, Baruch decided that he wanted to “carry on her legacy” and launched Project Coffee Cup in 2015.
Since then, and with the help of volunteers and donations, the organization has provided thousands of hot meals, coffees, pieces of clothing and conversation to unhoused individuals.
As a child, Baruch said, he would find brief reprieve from the tolls of addiction by visiting his grandmother’s house. As an organizer, he wanted to re-create that sense of comfort for those in similar need of companionship.
“We didn’t have much, but we enjoyed each other’s company,” Baruch said. “My grandma became like a refuge.”
The familial theme is embedded deep within the organization, Baruch said. The mobile setup aims to be warm and welcoming, with shaded tables and a “cookout” theme meant to provide a sense of safety, closeness and comfort.
“We have guys from motorcycle clubs. People who were formerly homeless on the streets that we served are now on the other side of the table being stories of inspiration,” Baruch said. “There’s all walks of life, man.”
Project Coffee Cup has built partnerships with individuals who operate work programs in Santa Ana as well as local barbers, and also hosts paint parties for youths affected by homelessness.
“The majority of us all work a full-time job,” Baruch said. “So when we find time within our busy life — we all have kids and families — we volunteer. … If there’s anybody that has a talent, whether you’re a barber, do music, you braid hair, you cook, you can use your talent with us to give back to the community.”
But now, the organization needs help to recover from the theft, Baruch said. The organization decided not to file a police report, citing a desire to protect regular clients’ privacy, he said.
Baruch recently created the GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to buy new materials and cover the cost of a more secure storage unit. He said he hopes to reduce the financial burden on volunteers who have used their own money to keep the organization going.
Baruch said that contributions of any amount would be invaluable.
“Our motto with Project Coffee Cup is, ‘Loving without prejudice,’ and we try not to have an opinion about anybody that we serve,” Baruch said. “Our hope is, like, we see family members. We see sisters, brothers, somebody’s child out there, and we want to encourage them that there is a better quality of life.”
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