Occurring between March 13th through the 24th, the McAuliffe community all pitched in to support the local homeless shelter, The Midnight Mission. So how did people help? Generous students and families donated supplies such as towels, biodegradable cups, plates, and bowls, toilet paper, hygiene products, such as soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, clean socks, pillows, and twin-sized blankets!

So why did we choose The Midnight Mission? Lately, California has been experiencing unusual weather conditions, with loads of rainy days and some sunny days. The rain has caused many homeless shelters to overpopulate with people who don’t have the supplies to handle the cold, causing the shelters’ supplies to deplete. With the donations from our school community, The Midnight Mission has been able to provide for more people during the cold months.

When asked why she chose to donate, seventh grader Alexa Kouzoukas replied saying, “I wanted to give back to Orange County’s homeless population.”

As the students donated, they received a raffle ticket for every item they donated. These raffle tickets would then be put in a raffle to win prizes such as candies and gift certificates. The ten winners included Olivia Park, Karly Lutz, Ella Mendoza, Trevor Storges, Ava Kevorkian, Lumi Walker, Josh Barnaby, Zoe Tang, Chloe Sisil, and Jayden Whitt.

After being asked how she felt after donating, Ella Mendoza, one of our ten winners, replied, “It felt really good to give back to others.”
Each and every donor helped to make this harsh winter a better place for the homeless community with everything they donated. Altogether, the McAuliffe community all contributed to another effective March Mission!