Over 400 residents donated to The Salvation Army

GOLDEN AGE FOUNDATION

The Salvation Army donation event on June 14 was a huge success, with cars lined up from the LW U.S. Post office all the way out and down St. Andrews Drive.

Originally, only two Salvation Army trucks had come to LW to accept donations. But before 10:30 a.m., the two trucks filled to the brim, and The Salvation Army had to call for the third truck. By 12:30 p.m., the third truck was full and a fourth truck came to finish receiving the donations.

Six Salvation Army employees and seven Golden Age Foundation (GAF) volunteers teamed up to help unload donation boxes, working quickly to get through the long queue of cars waiting to be serviced. The two teams even received donations from people who chose to walk to the event and drop off their unwanted items by foot.

Most of the cars that came through the line would have an average of 5-7 bags of stuff, according to GAF President Anna Derby. Donated items included small furniture, kitchen appliances, house appliances, golf clubs, a love seat couch, an almost new living room set, televisions, luggage, men’s suits with hangers, shoes, CDs, books, women’s handbags, new and old vacuum cleaners, comforters, small desks, boxes of canned soup, and other miscellaneous items.

For the next donation event, the GAF asks the community to be patient with the volunteers and workers as they unload items from vehicles with care. Residents are encouraged to come in the afternoon, after 12:30 or 1 p.m. to lessen the traffic congestion in the morning of the event.

The program, dubbed “Salvation Saturdays,” brings Salvation Army donation trucks into Leisure World every other month, providing a convenient and cost-effective way for residents to rid themselves of unwanted items. In addition to giving residents a convenient venue to drop off donations, the program also saves residents money since it cuts down on expensive haul-away costs for cast-offs that were previously disposed of at the 1.8-Acre site.

All donations support the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers located across Southern California.

The Salvation Army donation event is under the stew ardship of the GAF.

DONATIONS, page 20

RIGHT: The Golden Age (GAF) and Salvation Army workers paused for a quick selfie from Dave Forney (right corner) while working a constant stream of cars of Leisure Worlders wanting to donate their gently used items.

BELOW: Two extra Salvation Army trucks had to be ordered in order to contain all the unwanted items. The two teams served 419 residents, which filled four Salvation Army moving trucks during the five-hour event. DONATIONS

from page 18

The next event will be held on Aug. 9, from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Amphitheater.

The GAF would like to thank Salvation Army employees and GAF volunteers Anna Derby, Cheryl Falconer, Shery Wells, Rhonda Seigel, Rosemarie Da Roza, Dave Forney and Geneva Potepan for their hard-work under the sun, greeting, lifting, and moving donations. The GAF would also would like to thank those who generously donated money to the GAF.

The Salvation Army accepts donations of clean, gently used, household items including clothing, bedding, kitchenware, small appliances and electronics, toys, sporting goods, books, art, home decor and small and medium furniture.

For more information, contact Geneva Potepan at 951-6754271 or email mom4rascal@aol.com.