San Juan Capistrano Kits 4 Kindness Supports NoCal Fire Victims

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — A pair of local non-profit owners, who happen to be teenagers at San Juan Capistrano's JSerra Catholic School decided to do unto others this holiday season. The Kits 4 Kindness foundation saw the devastation from the LaPorte fire in October and wanted nothing more than to help.

It was 75 Children from a northern California elementary school who received an extra gift over the holidays, thanks best friends Hannah Ortiz and Katherine Giddings. The pair headed to Bangor, Calif. after raising $4,000 toward their cause, delivering the fixings for Christmas dinner and specially purchased toys for each of the children at the Bangor Elementary School.

"When I first heard about the fire, we were really sad that they lost everything," Katherine told media at the event.

Initially, Kits for Kindness was established to raise funds and create basic hygiene kits for those in need. But on Dec. 21, they arrived at the small Northern California town to present 75 students and their families with a turkey dinner and toys for the children, some who lost everything to the LaPorte fire.

The Kits 4 Kindness program was started by Madeline Hall of Newport Beach, is now run by Ortiz and Giddings. The organization continues to distribute packages filled with necessities, sharing kindness through simple bars of soap, tooth brushes, and hoping to put a smile on the face of someone who could really use one.

Watching the children open their gifts, and knowing that each family would have something delicious to eat was all that Hanna Ortiz wanted for Christmas this year.

"I don't need anything else," Ortiz told reporters at the event. "My heart is full."

Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash