After some negotiating with shelter workers, Gonzales handed over the golden egg to 13-year-old Orange Coast Interfaith resident Stephen Yglesia.
“I’ve really been wanting a bike,” Stephen said, as he gripped the handle bars of the shiny, new, neon green boy’s bicycle. “I’m going to ride it to the beach,” he said.
Smiling, Stephen and another boy later took turns riding the bike in circles in the Newport Dunes parking lot.
Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter, which provides an emergency shelter and a transitional housing program for homeless families, has seen growing demand for its services from local families over the past year because of the down economy, shelter worker Jamie Warner said.
The Easter egg hunt, hosted each year by Newport Dunes, is a happy event for children who live at Orange Coast Interfaith, Warner said.
“A lot of these kids don’t have anything of their own; no toys, nothing,” Warner said. “The kids were all really excited about coming today.”
Jolene Rios, her husband and three children, ages 7, 10 and 13, have been living at Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter since last January.
“We’ve been trying to get back on our feet, but now my income is the only thing supporting us right now,” Rios said. Her husband was laid off from his job a few months ago and hasn’t been able to find another.
“This is good for the kids,” Rios said. “They’re happy to be here today.”
Celina Rios, 13, hopes to be a singer when she grows up and loves hip hop.
“I thought I was too old for this, but once I started looking for eggs, it was really fun,” Celina said.
