Homeless nonprofit reeling after theft

A nonprofit that provides hot meals, coffee and cloth ing to homeless Southern Californians is struggling to recover after its supply trailer was ransacked.

- BY CHRISTOPHER BUCHANAN

At some point between Sept. 18 and 23, unknown perpetrators broke into the Project Coffee Cup trailer that was parked in an overnight lot in Santa Ana, making off with tables, lights, a grill and other supplies essential for the mobile outreach, according to Jacob Baruch, the organiza tion's founder.

The nonprofit, which provides resources and as sistance for homeless indi viduals in the area of Los An geles, Long Beach and Santa Ana, has turned to GoFundMe for help replac ing the stolen items.

"This theft has made it extremely difficult for us to continue our weekly out reach," the fundraising page reads. "As a nonprofit, we operate solely on donations, and the loss of this equip ment has been devastating."

Baruch, of Lake Elsinore, came up with the idea for Project Coffee Cup after see ing his parents, who had struggled with drug addic tion since his youth, use their later years of clarity to help others. Baruch was fa miliar with the loneliness that accompanies addiction, and in 2010 began to converse over a cup of coffee with homeless individuals resting outside gas stations or convenient stores.