ANAHEIM : Dancers Get a Kick Helping Out Others

They call themselves the saloon people, a lively bunch of folks mostly in their 50s who think that heaven is three hours of square dancing on Thursday nights.

But for four hours each month, members of the Anaheim-based group put away their flashy American West attire, put on gloves and work clothes and pack food boxes for a Garden Grove food bank.

For members of Guns and Garters, a square dance group, the transformation from dancers to volunteers is as easy as a “do-si-do.”

“We enjoy dancing together and working together,” said Pam Appleman, who shares the group’s presidency with her husband, Arnie. “We want to participate in something good for the community.”

Guns and Garters members are among about 150 people who volunteer each month for the Orange County Development Council, a nonprofit group that distributes supplemental food to poor pregnant women and indigent families with small children.

Executive Director Buddy Ray said volunteers pack from 600 to 1,200 food boxes of milk, cereals, canned fruits and vegetables and meat under a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state Department of Education.

Mark Lowry, the food bank manager, said the Guns and Garters are a fun bunch that helps lighten up the tedious task of packing the food boxes. They are, he said, “hard-working folks who insist we play Western music on the radio.”