Offering Hope and Helping Hands to Those in Need: Volunteer of the Quarter-Lora Morel

Lora Morel is a special person with a heart for serving others. She has been a San Diego Country Estates resident for a decade and has worked at the San Diego Country Estates Snack bar for 7 months. She says she enjoys the job because it keeps her in shape and keeps her young. Her husband’s income supports their household expenses, so most of the money Morel earns from her job is put toward her non-profit to help families.

Morel started her charitable ministry in 2004. She has helped several seniors in Ramona with food. In the past, while living in Lakeside, she helped special needs kids with cooking. She would go into their home and help them learn how to cook healthy meals. She isn’t currently helping anyone with cooking but is available if someone needs it. She currently helps 200 households. “It’s exploded now,” says Morel.

She made her non-profit, “The Kindness Weirdo,” official and legal in 2021. The catchy name came about after some negative Facebook attention while she was offering to give free food to those in need. A friend comforted her and gave her a bouquet of flowers and a handwritten encouragement note. The envelope was addressed to “The Kindness Weirdo.”

“We have an aging community among us,” says Morel. “A lot of people are barely holding it together.” Morel says people have asked her why she brings food to SDCE, arguing that it’s a wealthy community. Morel says not everyone is thriving in this community, especially the elderly. There are people who built their homes in the 1980s; the houses look good on the outside, but the inside is a different story. Some of these homes are outdated and rundown inside, and some people in the community are struggling to get by while caring for spouses with health problems.

Morel’s unwavering dedication has not gone unnoticed. SDCEA Human Resources Accounting Assistant Crystal Carle says, “A few years back, I had heard about a woman in the Estates who would make food for people in the community who might need a little extra help. I always thought it was such a kind act to prepare a warm meal for people you don’t even know.” When she met Lora in 2024, she finally saw the woman behind all that kindness and generosity.

“I refer to Lora as the ‘Saint of Ramona,’ and even when I don’t say her name, my family knows who I am referring to,” says SDCEA Recreation Secretary Joanne Rivera. Morel has reached out to our community for years, offering free meals to those who are hungry and tired. In addition, people reach out to her when they need a bed, clothes, a dresser, or other household items, and she reaches out to the community to find the items needed. Morel mainly helps people one-on-one, going into their homes to help or even helping them find a car or a job. When she finds out about a senior or a veteran living alone, she ensures they are cared for and eating. She will go as far as to clean out someone’s home if they are too sick or weak to clean it. She has also taught single parents how to cook a homemade meal instead of spending their checks on fast food. She has an easy lemon chicken recipe that she has taught to countless parents over the years, helping them save money and feed their families a more nutritious meal. Try her recipe at the end of this article.

She is also trying to implement helping SDCEA employees with food. She says some of her coworkers work 20-25 hours a week and struggle to cover all their bills.

Rivera says that Morel is a published author of several non-fiction books, all of which can be found on Amazon when you search “Lora Morel.” She has a deep appreciation for good people and kindness. She shows kindness daily in many ways. Outside of her house, there are six large mailboxes. Each is a different color, so she can put items in them and tell the recipient which color their goodies are in so they can pick them up. She would like to add at least four more if anyone has any they’d like to donate. “If you are lucky enough to know Lora Morel, then you know what a blessing she is. I am proud to call her my friend,” says Rivera.

Morel says that giving back to the community is rewarding; she doesn’t help others for attention or recognition but does so because God has called her to. She knows how it feels not to have help and was grateful when people helped her when she was growing up. “You can be successful and come from a bad life,” says Morel. She adds that just because a person is poor doesn’t mean they always have to be.

She continues to brighten the lives of others and expand her team. She is looking for volunteers to help with her non-profit and an inexpensive truck or van to pick up food and accommodate her mission of helping others.

“It feels good to help,” says Morel. “I sleep better at night.”

Lora Morel’s Easy Lemon Chicken

• Chicken breasts or chicken legs or thighs
• Fresh lemons
• Garlic salt or powder
• Black pepper

Squeeze fresh lemon over the chicken and rub it in (marinating it with the lemon juice overnight is best).

Sprinkle with garlic salt or powder and cracked pepper. Cook in a 350 oven until meat is no longer pink:

• Chicken legs 25-30 minutes 
• Chicken thighs 30 – 35 minutes
• Chicken breasts 30 – 35 minutes (If you flatten them, they cook evenly; no dried ends)

Photo courtesy of Lora Morel.