Share Ourselves
OUR STORY
"Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have" – Winston Churchill.
Share Ourselves opened its doors in 1970, providing a food pantry in response to what our community members said they needed the most. Fifty six years later, as our community has grown, so have we. But our mission remains the same, breaking down the barriers to basic needs so that all in our community may have access.
Share Ourselves is a healthcare organization, with locations in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, and Mission Viejo, that provides comprehensive health and support services for the entire community. We believe everyone deserves access to quality healthcare. So, every day we break down the barriers to achieving optimal health, regardless of one's inability to pay. From serving as a comprehensive healthcare provider, to offering social services like financial assistance and food distribution, our approach considers all that it means to be healthy. Because when we uplift and prioritize the health of every individual, we become stronger as a community.
Share Ourselves stands as a beacon of compassion, particularly for those facing the challenges of homelessness and our low-income neighbors. Whether someone is insured or uninsured, every door is the right access point to get connected with all of our services and be embraced into our community of care.
Mission Statement
We are servants who provide care and assistance to those in need and act as advocates for systemic change.
Our Values:
LEAD WITH DIGNITY. We treat others as we would want to be treated.
CHAMPION JUSTICE. We advocate for change in structures and systems that unjustly and inequitably impact our community.
STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE. We do not settle for the easiest route, and we don’t shy away from challenge.
SERVE WITH HEART. We will show up for you with compassion, courage, and diligence.
Background Statement
Share Ourselves began with a simple intention: to better serve the Orange County community. Guided by that mission, the Food Pantry opened its doors in 1970. Since then, Share Ourselves has grown along with our community, expanding to include medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health services while maintaining the Food Pantry as a core service and a vital part of our Social Services Department.
Each year, nearly 16,000 individuals—perhaps your friends, neighbors, or family members—receive care and support at one of our community health centers across Orange County. Many more are served through 80,000 to 90,000 bags of groceries prepared and distributed annually by our Food Pantry volunteers. Even more community members join us each holiday season, helping ensure families have food on the table and moments of joy during a meaningful time of year.
From comprehensive healthcare to essential social services such as food support and financial assistance, our work is rooted in a holistic understanding of health—one that addresses the full spectrum of human need.
At Share Ourselves, everything is health.
And health is everything.
Impact Statement
2025 had all areas Share Ourselves working to strengthen our foundation and processes – toward achieving our planned organizational growth strategies. These were documented on our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan Priorities. The improvements we made, the talented people we recruited, and the successes we achieved – were all aimed at enhancing and/or expanding access to care for the nearly 16,000 unique individuals we treated in 2025. Some highlights:
In May of 2025, we held the grand opening ceremony for our newest site in Costa Mesa, 1650 Adams Avenue. Adams is 11,500 square feet, with 12 medical exam rooms, six dental chairs, a behavioral health office, and an on-site pharmacy. The new site means space to expand. We anticipate beginning Vision Services in summer 2026. To accommodate that planned expansion, we have already furnished Adams with two optometry chairs.
In October of 2025, we welcomed the appointment of Dr. Mina Hakim as our new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Hakim is an experienced pediatrician with a long history of serving as a clinical, educational and organizational leader at South-Central Family Health Center, with clinics in and around Los Angeles. He also held leadership roles within their behavioral health and quality departments. Dr. Hakim has served as an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at both USC and Loma Linda schools of medicine.
We also said welcome to our new Care Management Program Manager. For us Care Management is a collaborative and patient-centered approach to healthcare designed for patients to get the most out of their healthcare access. Our Care Management Program Manager leads a dedicated team of Care Managers who work closely with patients who have complex needs to create personalized care plans and coordinate the various aspects of the healthcare journey. Supporting Care Management, and overall patient care, Operations completed enhanced care management build in Epic, the technology piece of systems care integration
Early identification of health needs. 2025 started with our clinics employing a full complement of health screening tools that was supported with the coordination by our Population Health Team. Our overall approach included screening for Cancer including Breast, Cervical, Colorectal, and Lung; Behavioral Health screening, which is of significant concern to the entire community; and screening for Social Drivers of Health (SDOH). Many times, it is poverty in the way of our patients achieving better health. Underscoring our commitment to these initiatives, initiated our first full-year of targeted population health outreach initiatives.
We are doing the work of expanding access, both physically and technologically. We implemented DAX Copilot, an AI solution to assist providers in completing their documentation. We anticipate the efficiencies provided by DAX will relieve the time burden of documentation, while allowing for increased provider-patient interaction, and greater provider appointment access.
Needs Statement
Giving back is health.
When you support Share Ourselves, you help provide essential healthcare and social services that improve the health of our patients—and research shows it can improve your own wellbeing too. Studies have found that giving to charity is linked to increased happiness, and happier people are healthier people.
Comprehensive care is health.
We provide medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health services to everyone who needs care, regardless of their ability to pay.
Education is health.
Our Back-To-School backpack distribution and First-In-Family College Readiness programs ensure students—from kindergarten through college—have the tools they need to succeed academically and stay focused on their future.
Food Is Health.
We distribute on average over 300 bags of groceries daily to individuals and families working hard to stretch limited budgets and access nutritious food.
Financial security is health.
We offer limited rent and utility assistance to help individuals and families experiencing financial hardship stay housed, stabilize their lives, and reduce the risk of homelessness.
Geographic Areas Served
Share Ourselves at Costa Mesa
1650 Adams Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Share Ourselves at BESST Center
2045 Meyer Pl. Unit C
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Share Ourselves at Newport Beach
Children and Family Health Center
307 Placentia, Suite 107
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Share Ourselves at El Sol
1014 N. Broadway
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Share Ourselves at Mission Viejo
27725 Santa Margarita Pkwy, Suite 101
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Behavioral Health
Share Ourselves at Costa Mesa
1650 Adams Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Share Ourselves at Newport Beach
Children and Family Health Center
307 Placentia, Suite 107
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Share Ourselves at El Sol
1014 N. Broadway
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Pharmacy
Share Ourselves at Costa Mesa
1650 Adams Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Dental
Share Ourselves at Costa Mesa
1650 Adams Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Share Ourselves at Newport Beach
Beauchamp Children & Family Dental Center
307 Placentia, Suite 202
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Share Ourselves at Mission Viejo
27725 Santa Margarita Pkwy, Suite 101
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Social Services
Share Ourselves at Costa Mesa
1550 Superior Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Admin
Share Ourselves Newport Beach Admin Offices
20151 SW Birch St, Suite 100, 200, & 225
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Top Three Populations Served
- All Populations
- Children ages 0-5
- Homeless Individuals
Statement from the CEO/Executive Director
Share Ourselves' mission is that we are servants who provide care and assistance to those in need and act as advocates for systemic change. We have evolved over that time to identify and meet the needs of individuals in seeking health care and supportive assistance to provide the safety net for working families and our most vulnerable neighbors.
As an organization we never lose hope of the impact of our work and we remain laser-focused on trying to be a part of our community’s health and wellness. Over the last few years Share Ourselves has continued to expand our clinics to provide access to healthcare and social service to more individuals in need across Orange County.
We diligently strive to be an integral part of helping to move our community into a state of stability and wellness. We know that so many in our community see Share Ourselves as a place of hope in routine and urgent health services, and social services as they are faced with struggles along the way. Share Ourselves couldn’t perform all the array of services without the generous assistance from those in the community that have supported our work over the last 56 years. We are so grateful for the passion and love that you bring to support the current and future work of Share Ourselves.
Statement from the Board Chair/President
Share Ourselves was founded in 1970 by a small group of local families with a singular purpose – to serve those in need in our community.
Over fifty years later our mission remains unchanged. Today our volunteers regularly distribute over 300 bags of food daily to individuals and families facing food insecurity. Our rental and utility assistance programs keep families in their homes and the lights on. Our trained caseworkers help those in need access resources and navigate language and logistical barriers which may range from helping a grieving family cover burial expenses to applying for benefits for a homeless veteran.
We strive to make our programs and services responsive to the needs in our community. With community partners like Hoag, in 1984, we opened a small medical clinic to provide free medical care to those in need. Today, Share Ourselves operates one of the largest Community Health Center organizations in Orange County. We provide comprehensive primary medical, dental, pharmacy and behavioral health services to approximately 16,000 unique individuals each year regardless of insurance or inability to pay. We turn away no one.
Today the need for our services is greater than ever, with rising housing, food and energy costs that has created an unbearable burden for many families and individuals who were already struggling to make ends meet.
For me, Share Ourselves has always been more than a non profit. It is a pathway to witness the goodness of people in our community.
CONTACT
Share Ourselves
20151 Southwest Birch Street
100
Costa Mesa, CA 92660
Christy Ward
Phone: 949-270-2100