The Crowd:

The sweet pungent smell of the Imperial County onions was intoxicating, like some exotic perfume.

Guerlain, the famous French perfumery, should contemplate creating a fragrance. Perhaps they could call it “Peel Me,” or another name might be “Layers of Love Potion.” Yet others might be “Kiss Me And You’ll Cry” or perhaps “Bite Me.” For the past 15 years a group of locals known as Share Our Selves Star Team have gathered each year in early summer to share in the bounty of Imperial County sweet onions provided by Star Team founder and onion-grower extraordinaire Kathy Thompson of Corona del Mar.

While the Star Team has been holding its luncheon for about 15 years, Thompson has been giving away these incredible onions for more than 20 years as a message to friends and family members to think about assisting those in this community who go without food on a daily basis.

The annual luncheon, as in years past, unfolded at Five Crowns in Corona del Mar and attracted a sold-out dining room with every patron anxious to take home their enormous bag of onions. The event raised close to $60,000 in support of Costa Mesa’s Share Our Selves programs aimed at feeding and assisting those in need. Share Our Selves spokeswoman Elizabeth Evans reported that despite current economic conditions, this year’s onion luncheon was the most successful in the history of the event.

President Kathy Thompson welcomed new members to her Onion Star Team. Among the generous new donors were Richard and Jane Taylor, Susan Bohan, Barbara Foster, Jaak Jurison and Marit Store.

When Thompson began the luncheon in 1994 a total of 75 pounds of sweet onions were distributed to patrons.

This year, Thompson and her volunteers passed out 1,000 pounds of onions to the patrons dining at Five Crowns.

During the luncheon a live auction helped raise the tally thanks to the generosity of local Newport Beach jeweler William Harold as well as gifts from South Coast Plaza jeweler Black Starr & Frost.

Other auction donors included Baccarat Crystal and the Balboa Bay Club & Resort.

Spotted in the luncheon crowd were Tia Anderson, Alice Blair, Nancy Caldwell, Janet Curci, Catherine and Jim Emmi, Ellie Fabor, Dorothy Gray, Jack and Marena Larson, Elaine Keck and Kay Mulvaney. Also supporting Share Our Selves were Margaret and Bob Nord, Rita Sprinkel, Jane and Richard Taylor, Carol and Henry Schielein, Mike Russell, Carol Reisner and Pilar Wayne.

Share Our Selves is a voluntary support agency headquartered in Costa Mesa providing a full spectrum of needs for those people struggling with poverty in Orange County. Services include food, clothing, financial assistance, legal aid, health care, counseling and more.

For more information about the nonprofit, contact Karen Harrington at www.shareourselves.org.

THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays.