Alex Moving & Storage

CR&R

Foothill Communities Charitable Foundation

Ms. Gretchen Whisler

Ms. Jennifer Coulson

Southern California Edison 

Southern California Gas Company

 Tustin Community Bank

The Tustin Community Foundation is proud to serve the people of our community by linking non-profits meeting critical needs with community donors through grant making.  501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and schools serving the greater Tustin area can now apply online at www.tustincommunityfoundation.org.  The Foundation's grants annually support programs in five primary fields of interest:   Athletics, Arts and Cultural Resources

Health and Human Services

Outreach Programs to the Underserved or Disadvantaged

Expanding Educational Outreach

Youth and Senior Activities

The new LEAP of Food Program, an outgrowth of the multi-congregation Sunday Supper program held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Tustin every Sunday night, served over 2600 Super Snacks to LEAP summer school students as a way of responding to the problem of hunger among children in our community.

St. Paul's Episcopal has been the site of the LEAP (Learning Enrichment and Achievement Partners) after- school tutoring program for many years. Eight years ago the Tustin Unified School District stopped offering summer school and asked LEAP to provide summer school to the 150 most "at risk" students across the District. The children attend an intensive school program from 8-12 each day for the first month of summer.

Volunteers from Sunday Supper (a 2011 TCF Grant recipient) "leaped" at the chance to provide a healthful and tasty snack for each student every morning, knowing that this snack might be the most protein-rich and nutritious meal of their day. National and local statistics show that 1 in 5 American children are hungry and at risk of not having regular meals, particularly during the summer months when they don't have access to the free and reduced cost lunches available during the school year. In addition, thanks to the volunteer snack crews from local congregations and donations of money and groceries, LEAP of Food was also able to send food home with the students' families each Friday.

Kudos to these fine organizations for recognizing that in this day and age much more can be achieved through nonprofit collaboration.  For move information on LEAP click HERE

Single-size disposable lunch items are convenient, but not only are they more expensive, they generate much more waste.  Experts estimate that since an average school-age child generates 67 pounds of disposable lunch waste per school year, an entire average-size elementary school would generate 18,760 pounds of lunch waste each year!  With more than 30 schools in our community, we're talking tons of trash.  You can help by:

• Choose a reusable lunch box instead of a brown paper bag.
• Use reusable containers for sandwiches and foods instead of plastic bags.
• Buy snacks in bulk and package them in reusable containers instead of purchasing individual portions.
• Send whole fruits instead of fruit cups.
• Include reusable forks, spoons, and cloth napkins.
• Send a reusable bottle instead of disposable ones.  Freeze it the night before and it can work as ice to keep the lunch cold!
• For more tips, visit  www.wastefreelunches.org.