Giving to the thankful

We are nearing the time of the year again where the air is filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement as we think about the fall harvest, Thanksgiving, and eventually the Christmas Season.

This is also a very special time of the year at Serving People in Need as they launch their Adopt-A-Family Program for Thanksgiving and for Christmas.

The group works with families that were once homeless and has assisted them to move into permanent housing to help get them back on their feet. For the Thanksgiving holiday, adopters usually provide groceries for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, said Kim Frazier, the group’s director of volunteers.

The Christmas adoption donors will receive specific information about the families -- the children’s clothing sizes and Christmas wishes, for instance. This is simply a wish list or guide for you to use, Frazier said.

“Thanksgiving and Christmas are always a lot of fun at SPIN [Serving People in Need]. It is such a pleasure to see the absolute wonder and gratefulness on the faces of our families and their children. We appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness in making this time of year special and unforgettable for families who are on their way to self-sufficiency,” Frazier said.

If you plan to adopt a family or have any questions, please contact Frazier during the week between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (714) 751-1101, ext. 19, or by e-mail at [email protected].

Friends in Service to Humanity provides adopt-a-family opportunities for Thanksgiving and Christmas as well. The group can be reached at (949) 515-3815.

ROTARY VOLUNTEERS AT SCOUTING FOR FOOD

Members of the Newport-Balboa Rotary Club along with Skipper Mike Stewart and his Sea Scouts from the ship Del Mar worked hand in hand on Nov. 12 at Newport Beach’s Scouting for Food collection site, making Orange County’s largest food drive a success.

The food was gathered by Orange County Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and then brought to sixteen collection sites in Orange County where they were unloaded, sorted and loaded into large trailers supplied by the Second Harvest Food Bank. Some 187,000 pounds of food is then distributed to local food banks throughout Orange County for those in need.

The Rotary members assisting Scouting for Food were President Terry Rousselot, President-elect Steve Speer, Community Service Director Bill Hossfeld, Dick Carroll, Linda Klavatt, Bob Silver, and Art Walton.

LIONS ENTERTAINING

AND GIVING AWARDS

Several members of Harbor Mesa Lions entertained their fellow members and guests at a recent meeting by putting on a skit called, “The Golden Girls Join a Lions Club.” Written and directed by President Carol Van Holt, the skit was not only funny but informed the guests of the activities and accomplishments of Lions.

Actors in the skit included Bernice Ellis, Barbara Hayward, Lynn Seaholm, Maureen Coffey, Sandi Scheafer, Arlene Schafer, and Joan Parks.

The stage manager was Carol Proctor. At the meeting, member Marian Perrin was presented with a plaque honoring her husband, Steve, from past Lions International Council member and past District 4-L4 Governor Jack Perich.

The late Steve Perrin was a longtime member of the Costa Mesa-Newport Harbor Lions Club. Van Holt awarded Joan Parks with the Top Turtle for the month of October for her chairing the recent casino night.

In the month of September, members Gina Stansbury and Eunice Thomason were given the award for their chairing of the school box project.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD

OF SERVICE CLUBS

Bill Rhinesmith, sponsored by Seymour Beek, who joined the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor.

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS

THIS WEEK

How are you giving back to your community? Help your community and the world through a service club. For many, service club membership is an extension of our religious beliefs and congregation affiliation.

You are invited to attend a service club meeting this coming week to learn more about opportunity for service. Most clubs will buy your first meal for you as you get acquainted with them.

MONDAY

6:30 p.m.: The Harbor Mesa Lions will meet, at the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center, Fairview Room.

TUESDAY

7:15 a.m.: The 48-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets at the Five Crowns restaurant for a program by Mary Jo Hooper, CEO, Providence Hearing Institute (www.newportbeachsunrise rotary.org).

Noon: The newly formed Rotary Club of Costa Mesa will be meeting at The Club House at South Coast Plaza.

WEDNESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The 10-member Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at a new location, Denny’s Restaurant at Redhill Avenue and Bristol Street.

Noon: The 27-member Exchange Club of the Orange Coast meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club.