COUNTYWIDE : Workers Have Picnic Helping Riot Victims

As music piped through the loudspeaker outdoors, Southern California Edison Co. employees dropped off food and clothing for Los Angeles riot victims before getting into line Wednesday for complimentary barbecued hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks.

About 655 workers at an Edison repair facility in Westminster turned an employee appreciation picnic into a food and clothing drive for riot victims, and the Rev. Mary Minor, of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, came to thank them for their efforts.

“It doesn’t stop here,” Minor said to the crowd. “There’s a bigger job for us to do to heal our community. . . . What happened in Los Angeles wasn’t a racial thing per se, but a social thing. We have to accept people the way they are.”

The employees gathered four large boxes of clothing, diapers and blankets, and a wide assortment of non-perishable foods: cereal, chili, marinated artichokes, instant noodles and canned vegetables. They will continue to collect donations next week and then deliver them to the First AME Church, a major conduit for relief efforts.

“I tried to think of what a family needs,” said secretary Phyllis Boles, who brought beans, vegetables, chili, stew, and paper towels.

Boles, of Fountain Valley, said she was dispirited by the riots. “It’s sad they had to resort to that to get attention. Before that, they needed help.”

Khanh Tran, 40, an engineer, brought three plastic bags of clothing and shoes. He said he searched his house for “things that I can’t use but that others can. I just wanted to help out.”

The idea of having the employees’ charity organization assist in the relief effort was sparked by Tam Dyvig, a mechanic and union steward, who has been volunteering weekends at First AME Church.

“The size of the company motivated me,” Dyvig said. “I felt it would be a good opportunity to try to help change things. The main objective is to help people in the community. These people have been neglected by the government and others who are doing better.”

In addition to collecting goods, more than 20 people signed up to work at the First AME Church on the next two Saturdays. A few company employees have already volunteered on past weekends.

Dean Barlow, 34, an electrical repairman, of Ontario, planned to help, along with his wife and 6-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter.

“I feel that this is a worldwide problem, not just the community’s. It could happen anywhere and we the people need to come together,” Barlow said.