NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sept. 28, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Celebrity chef Alejandra Schrader, a participant on the Fox TV reality series "MasterChef," will demonstrate healthy cooking techniques for participants in the Second Harvest Backpack Program, 11a.m. – 1 p.m. , Saturday, October 1, at the Warwick Square Apartments, 780 S. Lyon Street, Santa Ana.
The Junior League of Orange County, CA, Inc., (JLOCC) Second Harvest Backpack Program Committee Chair Courtney Boitano recruited Schrader and organized the event. "Alejandra has been a leader in promoting healthy cooking among her fellow Latinos," said Boitano. "That made her a natural for this project."
"My own struggles with weight problems and my family health history motivated me to cook nutritionally balanced, health-conscious meals that are packed with flavor," says Schrader, a native of Venezuela. On "MasterChef," she cooked for judges Gordon Ramsey, Graham Elliott and Joe Bastianich. More information on the chef is available at http://www.alejandraschrader.com.
Currently, one in five people in Orange County are living at the poverty line, at risk of not having enough food to eat every day. More than a third of those at risk of hunger are children. The JLOCC is dedicated to aiding the Second Harvest Food Bank in its mission to end hunger. A dozen JLOCC members will attend the Saturday event to assist.
In the second year of a three-year partnership, members of the JLOCC are assisting with the Second Harvest Food Bank Backpack program (nationally sponsored by Feeding America), which is currently serving youth in three locations - Santa Ana, Westminster and Anaheim. Throughout the duration of the program, it is expected to expand to 15 locations in order to feed as many as 700 children. (http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger.aspx) JLOCC members are assisting by coordinating food drives, assisting in backpack assembly, obtaining educational materials and holding events.
The funds that are raised annually by the JLOCC directly impact the community through collaborative projects with partner organizations and support the JLOCC's mission of promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community. This year's projects include the Second Harvest Food Bank Backpack Program, Crittenton Services Connect Program, Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Reading Program, Olive Crest Kinship Support Services Program, The Raise Foundation Resources in Motion Program, and the JLOCC's Bear Hugs and Bear Necessities Program, which partners with the Orangewood Children's Foundation. The JLOCC members also conduct done-in-a-day volunteer projects through the JLOCC's Impact Orange County Committee.
About the Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc.
The Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc., is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The JLOCC has helped found organizations such as Orangewood Children's Home and OneOC, formerly known as the Volunteer Center of Orange County. As a solely educational and charitable organization, the JLOCC's trained volunteers actively support the community through collaboration with organizations that promote and support the health, safety and education of all individuals in Orange County. A 501(c)(3) organization, the JLOCC reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins. Originally established in 1956 as the Newport Harbor Service League, the JLOCC is a member organization of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. To learn more about the JLOCC, call (949) 261-0823 or visit www.jlocc.org.