IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Last week the San Bernardino County Public Attorneys Association and the San Bernardino County Public Defenders presented the YouthHope Foundation with financial and in-kind donations. Donated items included food, personal hygiene items and gift cards. The San Bernardino County Public Attorneys Association also matched contributions from the Public Defenders Office.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to support this fantastic organization,” Rod Curbelo, a public defender and vice president of SBCPAA, said. “YouthHope partners with youth at a time when they need guidance and support. They focus on long-term development, providing youth with the tools they need to be successful.”
YouthHope is an organization that serves homeless and at-risk youth in Redlands. The organization provides these youth with a place to do homework, food and other items that they may not be able to get otherwise, like socks and shoes or a toothbrush and toothpaste. YouthHope served more than 1,200 youth last year alone.
“The Public Defenders and SBCPAA gave us a whole van full of food,” Executive Director Heidi Mayer said. “It’s amazing. We got toothbrushes and toothpaste and all of the hygiene type of items, which our kids don’t get either. The Public Defender’s office is a huge supporter of YouthHope.”
“Members of SBCPAA work of both ends of the criminal justice system to serve the public,” Curbelo said. “When we see organizations serving the public like YouthHope, we love to get involved.”
The California Homeless Youth Project reported that in the 2012-2013 school year nearly 270,000 students experienced homelessness in California.
