Local businesses and corporate partners can join us to transform Orange County into a region where every family has a home and the opportunity to thrive—all while offering their employees a platform for meaningful community involvement and corporate social responsibility.
There are a multitude of ways to partner with Families Forward and create volunteer opportunities for your teams to feel connected and impactful. Below are activities we can tailor to your company’s best needs. To find your best fit, schedule an informational conversation with our Volunteer and Community Engagement Manager Amanda Benedetti today.
Host a Donation Drive
Make a direct impact on the community by hosting a donation drive! Collect items for local families working to sustain their housing with your department (or business as a whole). You’ll introduce philanthropy to your team and impact Families Forward’s Community Market and seasonal giving programs—Back to School, Thanksgiving, and Holiday Wish!
Your donation drive can be themed around food, hygiene items, diapers and baby wipes, back to school supplies (May – July), Thanksgiving meal ingredients (October – November), and/or toys and gift cards (November – December).
Schedule your donation drive today and a Families Forward team member will connect with you to confirm your details and provide additional support. For large scale donation drives (three barrels or greater), we are happy to provide donation collection barrels and assist with pick-ups in our box truck. For smaller donation drives, we encourage your team to collect in boxes/containers you provide and drop off at our office in Irvine.
Host a Kit-Building Event
Build with your team, volunteer, and donate—all at the same time! Kits can be themed in tandem with our seasonal holiday giving events (Back to School, Thanksgiving, and Holiday Wish) or built around an evergreen need such as hygiene/first aid, career search, children’s birthday celebration, new home welcome, and more.
Kit build events are the best way to engage with large groups, as Families Forward’s office capacity is often limited to 12 volunteers at a time. These events also offer the flexibility to select the kit theme and order the items of your choice, be located at any event space of your choosing, and be led by your selected event coordinators.
Families Forward staff are here to support as you coordinate and schedule a kit-building event! We are available to help create a curated list of kit items, based on your budget—and pending availability, we are available to attend and present at your event. For further convenience, our team can order kit items and deliver these to your kit build event location through a monetary donation made to Families Forward.
Our will be in contact with you shortly to discuss details and plan an event that best fits your desired outcomes. Some details we ask for you to provide include:
- First and last name of event coordinator:
- Contact phone number:
- Group name/Company (If applicable):
- Group size:
- Type of kit:
- Kit build location:
- Top 3 preferred days and times for your kit build:
Support an Event
Support our annual giving events in the way that’s most meaningful to your company. Families Forward hosts five events each year—these events are centered around providing families the opportunity to experience seasonal-related joy, as well as sustaining our work to positively impact Orange County:
- Become a Help Them Home Giving Day champion and highlight your organization’s support during the largest day of awareness for Orange County homelessness organizations (April)
- Supply K-12 children in our community with the backpacks and essential school supplies to ensure their success at the beginning of the school year through our Back to School distribution program (July – August, dependent on each school district’s calendar)
- Become a sponsor of Families Forward’s annual Waves of Hope Gala, our largest fundraiser each year, and participate in an inspiring evening event benefiting the success of our region (September)
- Ensure that every family has a warm Thanksgiving meal on their table by donating ingredients during our Thanksgiving distribution program (November)
- Provide children the experience of holiday joy by donating wishlist toys and items during our Holiday Wish program (December)
Schedule a Lunch and Learn Opportunity
Our latest data in Orange County has identified thousands of individuals and families with children experiencing homelessness on any one night. Families in our region who are struggling to find (or maintain) safe and stable housing are often juggling medical debt, recovery from a situation of domestic violence, death of a breadwinner in the family, and more—all while working to make ends meet for their children.
We invite business leaders in our region to join us for an engaging and education Learn and Learn opportunity with Families Forward, to hear about opportunities to make an impact in our community and transform Orange County into a region where every family can thrive.
Volunteer
At Families Forward, we welcome all volunteers (age 10 and up) and work with individuals and groups to provide opportunities for everyone to make a difference! Our team is available to discuss with you what activity is the best match for your group’s desired outcomes and availability.
Make an Impact Through a Sponsorship or Match
Develop your partnership with Families Forward. Our corporate sponsors are year-round champions of Families Forward’s mission to support families across Orange County. Sponsors actively collaborate with our team in the creation of meaningful volunteer opportunities for employees and receive named recognition across our events and marketing—all while deeply impacting the well-being of our region.
Thank You to Our 2025 Corporate Partners
