Burbank Coordinating Council seeks volunteers for basket program

Volunteers are needed for a citywide food drive this weekend, part of the Burbank Coordinating Council’s holiday basket program which assists more than 500 local families whose children participate in the free or reduced-cost lunch programs.

The council, founded in 1933, has been delivering holiday baskets since 1946. The program helps those who are struggling to put food on the table or provide gifts to their children and is one of the two largest programs the council conducts.

“For these families, the food is not a luxury,” said Janet Diel, president of the council and chair of the basket program. “It is much needed and welcomed. And, the gifts we give the children are the only ones they may receive this holiday.”

Diel said in an email this week the program requires the work of hundreds of volunteers. Participation has its own reward, she said.

“Knowing that we are making a difference in their lives, and that they will become the blessed and not forgotten, is the greatest gift of all,” she said.

The food drive will take place at several local grocery stores from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. It’s the first of several events in the coming week leading up to next Saturday when all of the baskets will be delivered to 500 or more families.

Food drive volunteers can contact Barbara Salamon at (818) 843-7571 to sign up for shifts of two, four or eight hours standing outside the grocery stores, collecting donations.

“The contributions of everyone at our stores makes the food drive successful,” Salamon said.

There will also be a holiday party at the home of former Burbank Mayor David Golonski and his wife, Barbara Sykes, where guests may bring unwrapped toys, food, gift certificates and any other donations to be included in the baskets. Both Golonski and Sykes are longtime participants in the holiday program.

Food items will be packed into reusable bags from 2 to 9 p.m., next Wednesday at the Little White Chapel, 1711 N. Avon St. Help will be needed to fill hundreds of 700 bags, Diel said.

The following Friday from 2 to 9 p.m. the food bags will be moved to George Washington Elementary School, 2322 N. Lincoln St., where additional donated items, including gifts, will be sorted and added.

People can also contact organizers at ccholidaybaskets@aol.com or (818) 238-7647 if they would like to “adopt a family” and create a unique basket just for them, Diel said. Those volunteers will deliver the baskets to their adoptees, but about 200 other volunteers will be needed to deliver “unadopted” family baskets.

Sykes, who is in charge of the gift distribution, said the biggest need right now is for people to adopt a family or for give donations that can go in baskets for the unadopted families — toys, gifts for teens or gift cards.

All the baskets will be delivered from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 12. The final day’s effort involves the logistics of sorting baskets by city area, loading up and unloading vehicles, making calls and delivering the goods.

“This project only happens because of everyone working together,” Sykes said.

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Chad Garland, chad.garland@latimes.com

Twitter: @chadgarland