SANTA ANA, Nov. 30, 2005 - With the holiday season in full swing, Waste Management of Orange County (WMOC) encourages residents in the region to seek out opportunities to support local community groups or charities with donations of time, goods or money.

The company supports a number of groups in Orange County throughout the year, and has selected the following for donations this holiday season. “We encourage our customers and neighbors to support these groups or find a worthy cause in your local community to help out during the holidays,” said David Ross, Senior District Manager for Waste Management of Orange County.

Among the organizations receiving support or donations from WMOC during the holiday season:

• Operation Santa Claus – Administered by the County of Orange Social Services Agency, this program provides gifts to needy children who may be abused, neglected, homeless or physically or mentally challenged, as well as elderly and disabled adults. WMOC is donating 100 collection boxes for sites around the county where gifts will be collected, such as businesses, churches, schools, Orange County libraries and most county agencies. To see how you can contribute to Operation Santa Claus, visit www.ssa.ocgov.com/Volunteer_Services/Holiday_Gifts.asp.
• Friendly Center – A non-profit family resource center in Orange, the Friendly Center provides programs and services for low-income families and seniors in the local communities. WMOC has donated trash bag liners and boxes to hold the toys collected for the Community Outreach Party for low-income families in the City of Orange on December 10, and also donated bins and trash service for the holiday party. To contribute money, toys, nonperishable food or gift certificates to local stores for the party, or to volunteer at the Friendly Center, visit www.friendlycenter.org.
• Children’s Hospital of Orange County – One of only two hospitals in Orange County exclusively serving infants, children and adolescents, CHOC in 1994 began the Annual CHOC Toy Run in conjunction with the Orange Coast Harley Owners Group (HOG) and Orange County Harley Davidson. WMOC has donated boxes in which to collect the toys, as well as provided discounted service in support of the event. For more information about the event on Christmas Eve, visit www.ochog.org/tdocs/CHOC-2005.pdf or go to www.choc.org for more information about the hospital.
• Olive Crest – One of the West Coast’s premier children’s charities, Olive Crest provides shelter, loving care and professional treatment to more than 40,000 abused, abandoned, neglected and at-risk youth. At the request of McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., which is completing renovations on eight homes for Olive Crest in Southern California, WMOC provided waste hauling services free-of-charge for sites in Orange County. For more information about involvement opportunities with Olive Crest, visit www.olivecrest.org.
• Operation Christmas Child – This program is an effort spearheaded by Samaritan’s Purse, an organization that provides aid and relief to the world’s poor, sick and suffering. The Operation Christmas Child project provides shoeboxes filled with gifts to children around the world. WMOC provides free 40-yard bins for cardboard recycling and discounted trash rates for the local operations. For information about Operation Christmas Child, visit www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC_Index.asp.
• Hurricane relief – With the holidays upon us, those regions devastated by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma need continued support and relief during this time. National organizations such as the American Red Cross or Salvation Army continue to collect donations of money and goods to help the residents of the Gulf Coast and to provide seasonal cheer through hot holiday meals. In the aftermath of the hurricanes, drivers from WMOC spearheaded their own fundraising campaign, raising more than $2,000 from among their ranks to donate to the Red Cross and the Waste Management Employee Support Fund. To contribute to continued relief efforts, view a list of relief organizations at www.fema.gov or visit www.wm.com/HurricaneInfo/contribute.asp.

Waste Management, Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. For more information about recycling, log onto www.wm.com.

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