South Country Outreach

What South Country Outreach does

South County Outreach (SCO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1989 by Ray Havert and headquartered in Irvine, California, with a mission to prevent hunger and homelessness across Orange County. The organization operates three core service lines — a Food Program distributing over 700,000 pounds of food annually to more than 6,000 residents through a client-choice food market model, a Homeless Prevention Program providing rental and utility assistance to households at risk of or experiencing homelessness, and Education Programs focused on financial literacy and job readiness delivered in partnership with Farmers & Merchants Bank. Service delivery is anchored by physical food pantry locations (Irvine through May 2026, then Lake Forest) and supported by a 1,750+ volunteer network.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model spanning individual donations (including the HOPE365 monthly recurring donation program at tiers of $25–$2,500/month), foundation grants (notably a $2 million Samueli Foundation award in May 2025 for eviction prevention and $100,000 Breakaway Fund grant in September 2025 for thrift store marketing), annual fundraising events (including Empty Bowls at $175 individual tickets and sponsorship packages), and proceeds from the wholly-owned Upscale Resale thrift store subsidiary operating in Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel (consolidating to Laguna Hills in June 2026). SCO reported approximately $6.19 million in charitable revenue in 2023 per the Orange County Register.

The organization is led by President & CEO LaVal Brewer and a small leadership team including Chief of Staff Sheila Teevans, COO Vanessa Howard, Director of Development Lauren Ruiz, and Marketing Director Floridel Martinez. Geographic scope is restricted to Orange County, California. SCO holds the 2026 Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency and was selected as the 2026 California Nonprofit of the Year by Senator Steven Choi, 37th District. The technology stack is light: a new SCO PORTAL appointment scheduling system launching June 2026, a standard website and email newsletter, an "Around the Table" podcast, and Facebook/Instagram channels — with no disclosed AI/ML or advanced platform capabilities.

Name

South Country Outreach

Legal name

South County Outreach

Website

https://sco-oc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South County Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 that prevents hunger and homelessness across Orange County, California by running a client-choice food pantry distributing 700,000+ lbs annually, rental/utility homeless prevention assistance, and financial literacy education, funded by donations, thrift store proceeds, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Social Services (Hunger & Homelessness Prevention)

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Hunger prevention services
• Homeless prevention assistance
• Food pantry programs
• Nonprofit social services
• Financial literacy education

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual donors supporting the mission to prevent hunger and homelessness. Monthly recurring program called HOPE365.
2. Upscale Resale Thrift Store Revenue: Thrift store selling new, gently used and vintage items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, home decor, furniture, toys and more. Proceeds support SCO programs and clients.
3. Fundraising Events: Annual Empty Bowls fundraising event featuring food trucks, live entertainment, and sponsorship opportunities. Individual tickets at $175, sponsorship packages available at various levels.
4. Foundation Grants: Large unrestricted grants from foundations including Samueli Foundation for eviction prevention, operational support, and capacity building.
5. Stocks and Bonds / DAF Donations: Accepts donations through stocks and bonds as well as Donor Advised Funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

South County Outreach is a nonprofit social services organization that operates a client-choice Food Pantry distributing over 700,000 pounds of food annually to more than 6,000 Orange County residents, a Homeless Prevention Program providing rental and utility assistance with case management, and Education Programs focused on financial literacy and job-readiness. The organization also runs Upscale Resale thrift stores whose proceeds fund its programs, and accepts individual donations including monthly recurring contributions through the HOPE365 program.

Product overview

South County Outreach is a nonprofit social services organization providing a coordinated system of care to prevent hunger and homelessness in Orange County, California. The organization operates core programs including a client-choice Food Pantry distributing over 700,000 pounds of food annually, a Homeless Prevention Program offering rental and utility assistance, and Education Programs focused on financial literacy and job readiness. Revenue-generating activities include Upscale Resale thrift stores in Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel. The organization also operates HOPE365, a monthly recurring donation program. All programs work together to empower individuals and families to achieve stability and self-sufficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Upscale Resale: Thrift store selling new, gently used and vintage items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, home decor, furniture, toys to benefit South County Outreach clients
• HOPE365

Products and services

• Food Program / Food Pantry Client-choice emergency food distribution program providing non-perishable, fresh, and refrigerated food items to Orange County residents in need; distributes over 700,000 pounds of food annually to more than 6,000 residents, including nearly 2,000 children each year.
• Homeless Prevention Program (Housing Assistance) Rental and utility assistance with case management, plus rapid re-housing services, for Orange County households who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless; served 731 households in 2021 and a pilot kept 294 households stably housed.
• Education Programs Financial literacy and professional skills education (budgeting, debt reduction, credit repair, savings skills, job readiness) for clients to build self-sufficiency and prevent future homelessness, delivered in partnership with Farmers & Merchants Bank.
• Upscale Resale Thrift Store Thrift store selling new, gently used, and vintage clothing, accessories, jewelry, home decor, furniture, and toys across the Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel locations; proceeds directly support SCO's hunger and homelessness programs; named Best Specialty Shop on the 2024 Best of Laguna Niguel list.
• HOPE365 Monthly Recurring Donation Program Monthly recurring donation program allowing supporters to make automatic monthly contributions ($25, $50, $125, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500 or custom) to sustain SCO's year-round hunger and homelessness prevention work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700,000+ pounds of food distributed annually
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Optima Tax ReliefminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 December 2025Optima Tax Relief employees volunteered over 250 hours with South County Outreach during November-December 2025 holiday season through their Optima Cares initiative. This corporate volunteer program supports community engagement.
• City of IrvinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2025City of Irvine partnered with local businesses and organizations for Operation Bridge the Gap emergency food drive on November 15, 2025, supporting Irvine residents affected by storm/funding delays. SCO served as the beneficiary organization.
• Orange County Community FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 April 2025OCCF hosts Help Them Home, a collaborative 24-hour giving day bringing together 28+ local nonprofits committed to addressing homelessness. SCO participated and raised $6,427 from 38 donors during the campaign.
• Farmers & Merchants BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to deliver financial literacy education. Farmers & Merchants Bank collaborated with SCO to provide 150+ hours of personalized education in 2023 as part of SCO's financial literacy program.
• Latino Health AccessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer organization that prepped radishes for distribution at food drive events helping feed Orange County families.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Families Forward: Irvine-based nonprofit providing food, housing, and education services to Orange County families in need. Highly comparable to South County Outreach due to overlapping geographic focus, similar integrated service model, and direct competition for the same donor and grant pools.
• Pathways of Hope: Orange County nonprofit focused on hunger relief and homeless prevention. Pathways of Hope was a co-grantee with South County Outreach in the Samueli Foundation's $7.5M collaborative investment, signaling near-identical programmatic scope and funder positioning.
• Mercy House: Orange County-based nonprofit operating homeless shelters, transitional housing, and homeless prevention programs. Direct comparable for SCO's rapid re-housing and rental assistance services in the same geography, with somewhat larger scale.
• Illumination Foundation: Orange County and Southern California nonprofit providing recuperative care, shelter, and homeless prevention services. Comparable in mission (housing stabilization) and geography, and competes for similar government and foundation contracts.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County: Regional food bank serving Orange County, distributing millions of pounds of food annually. Closest direct comparable to SCO's food program and a likely upstream source/sourcing partner; operates at materially larger scale.
• Orange County Rescue Mission: Long-standing Orange County nonprofit providing food, shelter, and recovery programs. Direct peer in hunger/homelessness services with overlapping donor base and decades of operating history in the same service area.
• Habitat for Humanity of Orange County: Orange County affiliate of a national housing nonprofit, focused on affordable housing and homeownership for low-income families. Comparable through its housing-stabilization mission, though with a different (asset-building) service model.
• United Way of Orange County: Local United Way affiliate that funnels philanthropic dollars to OC nonprofits, including hosting collaborative giving campaigns (such as Help Them Home, which SCO participates in). Comparable as a peer nonprofit in the same ecosystem, though with a grantmaking/intermediary role rather than direct service.

Regional players

• LA Regional Food Bank: Large Southern California food bank serving LA County. Comparable in food distribution model and beneficiary type, but operates at much greater scale and does not directly compete in Orange County.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National hunger-relief network of food banks; not a direct competitor but the dominant umbrella organization whose member food banks (including Second Harvest OC) source much of the inventory SCO redistributes. Relevant as a sector incumbent shaping the funding landscape.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/outreachoc
• Instagraminstagram.com/upscaleresale_thriftstore
• Xx.com/outreachoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-county-outreach

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Country Outreach