Feeding the hungry has to start somewhere

The Harvesters gathered, some 400 strong, for the annual fashion show and luncheon Oct. 7 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

Sponsored by South Coast Plaza, the runway fashion event, in its 23rd year on the Orange Coast, is arguably the definitive exhibition of fall and winter ready-to-wear in the O.C. It is also a financial windfall for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, recipient of $675,000 in proceeds this year alone.

Melissa Knode, chairwoman of the 2015 extravaganza, commented, “With the goal of a hunger-free Orange County, the Harvesters have tapped into a success model of fashion shows and intimate shopping experiences.”

Knode worked the magic with co-chairwoman Susan Croul and the Harvesters committee to raise the bar on funding Second Harvest. Including the 2015 take, the Harvesters have raised and donated more than $6 million to Second Harvest over more than two decades of fashionable fundraising.

“That translates into 1.6 million meals form just this year’s event alone,” Knode said.

The question then must be raised: How much hunger exists in one of the nation’s most affluent regions? And if the need is so great in Orange County, what’s the situation in less vibrant regions where the economic engine falters?

Clearly, the problem is serious. In the O.C., where hundreds of successful women dress to kill and converge on the chic Samueli Theatre to witness a parade of exquisite fall fashion from the likes of international designers Barbara Bui, Fendi, Lanvin, Marni, Max Mara, Moncler, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, Cavalli, Feragamo, Valentino and Versace, there is a very dramatic disconnect between the glamour of the occasion and the reality of the cause and the beneficiary.

How many women roll up their sleeves and serve on food distribution lines, volunteer to serve meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas, go out with vans on midweek nights to distribute ham sandwiches and potato chips to lines of homeless families in Santa Ana?

The answer is some, but few. That is the reality, and it is actually OK, because the money raised is so vital. Without it, the situation would be far worse.

In American society, individuals who are financially able often do make a discernible difference with contributions to worthwhile endeavors. Part of the equation is simply showing up. Giving attracts giving. This is why nonprofits reach out to community stars in an effort to broaden their base. It’s not unlike any social theory of evolution and migration. Darwin would be proud.

Let’s face the truth: $6 million for a hunger charity is not raised with the snap of a finger or a simple call to action. It’s not even raised by witnessing the actual hardships of those in need. It is raised by putting on a major show and attracting the crowd.

And that is what the Harvesters have done year in and year out with enormous support from tony South Coast Plaza and other commercial enterprises over the years.

The day of fashion meeting compassion began with a morning champagne reception and silent auction sponsored by Jaeger-Le Coultre. Fabulous auction donations tempted the crowd to bid generously for jewels by Robert Procop and the Angelina Jolie Collection, handbags by Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, pearls by Mikimoto, and dining experiences by the celebrated Marché Moderne, among other expensive treats.

The best-dressed crowd was then ushered into the Samueli Theatre for the fall/winter 2015 collections. Music pulsated and the lights dimmed as the models hit the catwalk, pure New York fashion glam in the O.C.

Major support for the event came from very generous donors including Lily and Paul Merage, Jacquie and Michael Casey, Michelle and Paul Jonavs, Roxanne and Bill Comrie, JoAnn and Anthony Fanticola, Mara and Keith Murray, Sheila and Ygal Sonenshine, Nancy and Arn Youngman, Kylie Schuyler, Glenys Slavik, and Keido Sakamoto and Bill Witte, among others.

The very fashionable sponsors spotted in the chic crowd counted among the Harvesters assemblage were Jill Johnson-Tucker, one of the Harvesters co-founders with Jennifer Van Bergh, Heather Madden, Valaree Wahler, Maralou Harrington, Susan Etchandy, Stephanie Argyros, Patti Edwards, Jeri McKenna, Carol Primm, Eve Ruffatto, Iris Frankel, Stephanie Grody, Nadine Hall and Sandy Fainbarg.

Luncheon followed in the stunning lobby of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as the 400 guests were seated and served by Patina a fall salad of burrata agnolotti with pan-roasted chicken. Lemon meringue pie and chocolate bonbons topped off the dining celebration.

So the question remains. With one in five children in the O.C. going to bed hungry, included in an estimated 349,000 local residents unable to afford decent meals on a daily basis, how does the community work together to end this unacceptable circumstance?

For 23 years, the Harvesters have helped to bridge the gap with essential resources. There is so much more to be done.

THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.