County employees’ group surpasses food drive goal

They were aiming for one ton and instead got more than four.

The Orange County Employees Assn.’s “thanks a ton” donation drive of food and supplies for veterans easily surpassed its 2,000-pound goal this week, gathering 8,957 pounds of supplies. The drive was held during the “Veterans + Labor: Partners in Service” event Tuesday at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

The materials, which included canned foods and various toiletries, will benefit Santa Ana-based Veterans First, which feeds homeless veterans, and the Orange County Food Bank.

“The sacrifices our veterans and their families make for our freedom are staggering, and so is the generosity demonstrated by so many this Veterans Day,” said Jennifer Muir, assistant general manager of the OCEA, in a prepared statement. “Standing together, we accomplished something so much greater than ourselves. No veteran should ever have to worry about basic needs.”

The OCEA also helped organize the second annual Veterans Day event at the fairgrounds.

—Bradley Zint

Twitter: @bradleyzint