The Decorative Arts Society (DARTS) of Orange County, a not-for-profit membership group dedicated to studying and appreciating design as well as supporting local causes, has made a special one-time-donation of $45,000 to Caterina’s Club, the nonprofit established by Sir Bruno Serato that feeds some 3,500 children nightly in Orange and Los Angeles counties. This donation, which is unique because it was awarded outside of DART's annual giving cycle, has been earmarked to support 3 of Caterina’s Club food distribution sites over the next 2 years: the Manzanita Boys and Girls Club in Anaheim, the West Anaheim Boys and Girls Club, and the Paseo Village Anaheim Boys and Girls Club bringing the number of children fed each night to approximately 300.
“We are grateful for the continued support of DARTS whose members are so compassionate and generous. This donation will certainly make a difference in the lives of those we serve,” said Serato, who established Caterina’s Club in 2005. “We rely on our community partners to help us fulfill our mission of not only feeding the children but finding permanent housing for families in need and training and landing jobs for at-risk youth in the hospitality field.”Added DARTS president Maureen Madigan, “The work that Bruno and the entire Caterina’s Club team does is extraordinary and we are delighted to make this donation, as no child should ever go to bed hungry.”
The Decorative Arts Society, established in 1995, is a membership group of community-minded women and men who support the organization by participating in an annual lecture series presented by nationally and internationally known experts in the field of the decorative arts, including interior and fashion, architecture and landscape design.
Through this series their members expand their knowledge of the decorative arts. Their subscriptions and donations to the Decorative Arts Society provide funds, via their Grants Program for projects and programs which benefit women and children in Orange County. To date, DARTS has awarded more than $2.5 million to needy organizations serving Orange County.
Caterina's Club has fed well over 1.9 million meals and the need keeps growing. Serato's influence has extended far beyond Southern California to include Chicago, New York, Texas, Mexico, and Italy. For his humanitarian work, he has earned international publicity including profiles in People Magazine, “CBS Evening News” and newspapers and magazines the world over.
Among his many honors is being named a CNN Hero, being knighted by the Italian government, receiving a papal blessing from Pope Francis, getting a humanitarian award on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, and receiving numerous proclamations, Man of the Year awards and other forms of recognition -- all of which he accepts to generate public awareness of the needs of our most vulnerable population – our children. For more information, visit www.caterinasclub.org.
