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Couple's Business Feeds Homeless With Restaurant Excess

Couple Has Delivered Food to People in Seven Shelters Across Orange County

KABC By Eileen Frere

- An Orange County couple is doing something about the vast amount of food they say is wasted by restaurants. They've given up their day jobs and are focused on feeding the hungry.

Closing time at a Souplantation in Fountain Valley, and Raymond Chavez and Erica Dixon begin their work.

"They let us take everything that they're going to throw away," says Raymond Chavez, of Helping Less Fortunate.

"In this restaurant everything is maintained full and fresh up until end of closing so that food is being tossed into trash and fact it's doing some good I'm happy to be a participant in that," says Tricia Long, Souplantation general manager.

The husband-wife team collects salads, breads, even pasta seven nights a week.

"I started working in the restaurant industry and would see how much food would be thrown in the trash," says Erica Dixon of Helping Less Fortunate.

They say they're fulfilling a calling to reduce waste & and helping those less fortunate.

Chavez and Dixon, the two alone say they collect more than 500 pounds of food, enough to feed more than 200 people in Orange County.

At the end of each week, the couple has delivered food to people in seven shelters across Orange County.

Ten o'clock at night -- they're delivering to women and children living in transitional housing in Huntington Beach.

"It puts food on my table for my kids," says "Laura" as she receives a food donation.

"It's our Thursday night ritual, something to look forward to. It brings us happiness, joy in life," says "Jade" as she receives a food donation.

"It's like being Santa Claus every day of the week," says Dixon.

Having given up their day jobs -- Chavez was a business consultant, Dixon a yoga teacher -- they're putting everything they have into this, hoping to attract volunteers so they collect food from more than one restaurant and help even more people in need.

"Pouring our hearts into this every day for past few months and hope it will take off from here," says Erica Dixon.

Eileen Frere

Eyewitness News Team

Eileen Frere

 

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