Community: Kiwanis members ring bells for Salvation Army

Four members of the Burbank Noon Kiwanis Club took a turn at the Burbank Salvation Army’s Red Kettle station at Fry’s Electronics prior to Christmas.

Each year, service clubs send volunteers to stand out in front of local stores and ring the bells, encouraging patrons to drop change or dollars into the kettle. The clubs compete and the club that raises the most donations receives the Red Kettle Trophy, which the club keeps until the next year.

Funds raised are still being tabulated, but as soon as we hear which club won, it will be published in this column.

Kiwanian Chuck Stuart was at Fry’s with fellow members Phil Jue, Ron Rothacher and Don Hurst on Dec. 13.

“My shift was the first shift on that Saturday morning and we didn’t have large crowds between 10 a.m. and noon, but people were respectful, willing to donate and well spirited, which made it very nice,” he said.

In addition to what the public dropped in the kettle, the Noon Kiwanis Club had been raising funds for the campaign.

“So we had our own amount of money to add and that sweetened the pot,” Stuart said.

The Red Kettle proceeds enable the Salvation Army to provide food and needed supplies to numerous families each week, conduct church services in English and Spanish on Sundays and plan more youth and senior programs at the community center.

Salvation Army volunteers also coordinated efforts in the weeks leading up to the holidays to encourage the public to donate toys for kids through the Angel Tree Project. Salvation Army Captains Craig and Marianneke Summerfield led the drive that provided 500 families with food, clothing and toys, including close to 200 bicycles and helmets, said public relations volunteer Elaine Paonessa.

A portion of the bikes donated were refurbished by the Burbank Bike Angels, under the leadership of volunteer Elaine Pease, who is senior license and code services inspector for the city of Burbank. Many city employees and their families volunteered to refurbish the gently used bicycles and assembled new bikes that were also donated to children from low-income families.

Distribution of food, toys and bicycles was made on Dec. 18, Paonessa said.

“It’s a wonderful thing to see and to be a part of,” she added.

The Holiday Inn Burbank-Media Center coordinated a toy donation project on Dec. 16 for the Salvation Army with help from the Burbank and Glendale police departments. The hotel lobby floor was covered from wall to wall with toys.

Congratulations on a generous effort that made this a wonderful Christmas for many underprivileged families.
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JOYCE RUDOLPH can be contacted at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.