Lions hosting food drive and giveaway at Goodwin’s Market

By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer

The Crestline Lions Club, inspired by Lions International declaring February as Hunger Month, will be holding a local food drive and food giveaway on Feb. 11 at Goodwin’s Market in Crestline, across from Lake Gregory.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the club members will be inside Goodwin’s market with lists for those who want to donate food items to the food drive. When collected, those items will be placed into shopping bags which have been donated by Goodwin’s and they will make up family bags of food to be donated to those in need.
Then, later in the day, beginning at 2 p.m., the club members will set up an E-Z Up with a “food giveaway” banner on it, on the corner of Lake and Lake Gregory Drives. The Lions Club will be donating two bags of food to those who want them. There are no criteria for receiving the food other than the family can use the food items. In today’s grocery world, with rising prices and heating costs going through the roof, many families could use a little bit of extra help. The Lion’s motto is “We Serve.”
This also gives community members an opportunity to donate food to the food drive and know it is immediately going to those in their community, perhaps those who may not qualify for governmental help but who could use some food assistance and an immediate helping hand.
In addition to the bags of food, the Lions Club is also donating a $10 gift certificate for Goodwin’s Market to the first 50 people who pick up the food bags.
Crestline Lions past president Catherine Johnson is all excited about the double food project the club has devised for Hunger Month. “I saw some Lions Clubs were planning a food drive and donating the food to the local food bank. We’ve done that in the past, too. Another club was thinking of helping at a food distribution day for a food bank. Rosemarie Labadie and I thought, let’s do both of those things and do it ourselves, for those in our community. So, we are.”
In December, the club members found out about local family through Facebook who needed food. Several Lions members got together, under the direction of Lion Courtney Hebert, and, with the help of Catherine Johnson, Kathy Ogaz and Libby Hayes, they delivered groceries to the family. When they got there, they discovered the children had no Christmas gifts, so they went back to the store and bought Christmas tree ornaments and gifts for the three children to make their Christmas a positive memory.
The Crestline Lions Club meets at Leisure Shores on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and a meeting. Call Lions President Libby Hayes (909) 338-7124 or past president Catherine Johnson at (909) 338-5758 for more details on attending the meeting. They invite all who are interested in Lions Clubs International to call and find out more about this award-winning service club.
Last month, they made donations totaling $1,600 to Mountain Meals on Wheels, Teresita Pines Lions Camp, Rebuilding Together, Guide Dogs, the American Cancer Association and Friends in Sight because of the money raised by the See’s candy sales they conducted in December.
The Crestline Lions Club thanks the community members who bought the See’s candy, despite the cold weather conditions that week, as they were able to raise $3,635 for their service fund, which will be donated to worthy causes across the mountain and beyond. The Crestline Lions Club is a part of District 4L-5 and is for men and women who want to serve their community through Lions International.