Thursday, June 14, 2007
Couple meet needs with unwanted food
By JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER
The Orange County Register
At 9 p.m. their workday starts.
Their shifts are two hours long.
As the buffet restaurant closes, the couple pull the plastic crate filled with empty bags and large
serving bowls into the entryway.
They slip on plastic gloves – they are too big for her hands but fit his perfectly.
The smell of cookies and cornbread swirls into the small foyer. Utensils clanking against a metal
sink create faint ambient noise in the dining room.
She grabs his dark green hooded sweatshirt and starts cuffing the sleeve.
"She always rolls up my sleeves before we start," he says. "It's just her thing."
They both wear sweats and matching Irish Claddagh rings on their left hands – a symbol of their
love for each other.
Then they begin their daily ritual.
Raymond Chavez and Erica Dixon traded the comfort of a consistent paycheck for an
unpretentious lifestyle and the chance to help society.
They were going to find a way to feed the hungry, but their valiant effort has its challenges.
There is no pay, they have no help, and there are no breaks. They are own their own, but they
hope to change that.
Finding a soulmate
A year ago, Raymond went to the gym and found the woman who would change his life.
He was drawn to the girl with the chestnut hair and twinkling eyes on the treadmill.
"I saw her and thought, 'I'm supposed to talk to her,' " Raymond says.
She is soft-spoken and sweet. He is strong and kind.
The two had an instant connection.
They began dating and realized they both had an innate passion for helping others and often
whimsically talked about how they could change the world.
Raymond grew up in a big family with philanthropy at its core. His mother was a dedicated
volunteer who spent much of her time working for Meals on Wheels. Raymond's father looked
forward to his retirement so he could team up with his wife.
He never got the chance. He died just a year after he retired.
"This type of work was so important to my parents," Raymond says. "It just seemed to be a very
natural thing for me to do."
Erica grew up in a family that thought too much was never enough.
She remembers how her father would buy food in bulk from the swap meet and how half of it
would rot.
"They thought because it was cheap, then it was OK to waste it," she says. "My grandma always
said too much is better than nothing."
When she was old enough, Erica went to work in the restaurant industry and was sickened by the
amount of food discarded at the end of every shift.
"There are so many hungry people in the world," she says.
Long conversations about their experiences strengthened their bond and presented a way they
could start conquering Orange County's poverty problem, even if on a small scale.
Idea turns to reality
Three months ago they brainstormed on how they could feed the hungry – to turn unwanted food
into a meal for the poor.
As they shot ideas off each other, their plan shifted from an unlikely fantasy into a plausible
reality.
"It was like a spark. We just fed off each other," Erica says. "It was like we were called to do
this."
Erica quit her job as a waitress, and Raymond left his business consulting firm.
Living off only their savings, the two dedicated themselves to their new organization, Helping
Hearts.
It started with a phone call to Souplantation in Fountain Valley.
Raymond simply asked if they could pick up any leftovers so they could take it to local shelters.
Manager Tricia Long welcomed the Huntington Beach couple, and employees were eager to help
out.
The couple were expecting more challenges when trying to jump-start their organization.
"We thought it would be at least a month of work getting restaurants on board," Raymond says.
"But it was so easy."
Every night after closing, the pair start with the breads and pastries, shoveling the focaccia pizza,
cornbread muffins and chocolate chip cookies into clear trash bags. Raymond scoops up even the
larger crumbs of the pineapple turnover cake into a bag – nothing goes to waste.
Next, three pasta dishes are spooned into large Ziploc bags.
Raymond holds them open, while Erica scrapes the last bit of macaroni and cheese and penne
alfredo from the pan.
This night, the couple was able to take pineapple and oranges, special treats for the recipients.
Salad was the last item to go – five bags were filled.
The couple strapped 17 bags of food, enough to fill a trash bin, onto the dolly and loaded the car.
Twenty-five women and children were awaiting their arrival. Monday nights they deliver to a
transitional shelter in Huntington Beach – one of five places they visit weekly.
Raymond and Erica walk the food up the long, dimly lit driveway.
The complex is quiet and tucked away from the bustling traffic on Beach Boulevard.
The two women who will distribute the food to the residents watch appreciatively with meek
smiles as Erica and Raymond unload.
"Oh, look, we got fruit this time," one woman says. "That's nice."
As the couple leave the complex, a young girl peeks her head out from an upstairs doorway. She
recognizes the couple and begins to make her way down for a meal.
Help needed
For Raymond and Erica, it was easy to find a place to donate leftovers or a shelter that welcomes
the meals.
The hardest part, they say, will be expanding their operation.
"We want to wait until we get some more help before we contact other restaurants," Raymond
says. "We really want to build this."
Second National Food Bank of Orange County has a similar program called Food Rescue.
Representatives pick up leftovers from caterers, restaurants and amusement parks in the county.
The couple hope to build Helping Hearts up to a similar scale.
They want to get the organization certified as a nonprofit and create a trend in local restaurants to
save unwanted food for the hungry.
"It's not using more resources; it's just saving what is already there," Erica says.
And although they say it has been difficult adjusting to a more modest lifestyle and living on a
tighter budget, it's worth it.
"It is just so rewarding," Raymond says. "We know that every day we are making a difference."