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Placerville Kiwanis Brings Much Holiday Cheer to Families in Need

00:00 AM - December 18, 2017

Placer Food Bank generously delivers pounds of food to the Green Valley Community Church for Kiwanis members to organize into large boxes for families in need. Left to right: Jorge Lupercio (Placer Food Bank), Jean Meyer (Kiwanis), Mary Shoenberger (Placer Food Bank), Rick Van Scoy (GVCC), Carl Hagen (Kiwanis), and Dave Martinez (Executive Director of the Placer Food Bank).

Placer Food Bank generously delivers pounds of food to the Green Valley Community Church for Kiwanis members to organize into large boxes for families in need. Left to right: Jorge Lupercio (Placer Food Bank), Jean Meyer (Kiwanis), Mary Shoenberger (Placer Food Bank), Rick Van Scoy (GVCC), Carl Hagen (Kiwanis), and Dave Martinez (Executive Director of the Placer Food Bank).

More than 50 families in need received a visit from Placerville Kiwanis Club members and a large box of food and other items to help them enjoy the month of December. Kiwanians began December 6 gathering pounds of food and boxes donated by Placer Food Bank and Boa Vista Orchards at Green Valley Community Church (GVCC). After they assembled the food and supplies, everyone jumped in to help weigh, sort food, and organize the boxes in trucks for drop off routes.

This tradition began before 1995 and benefits families on the Western Slope of El Dorado County. Jean Meyer and Carl Hagen are the Kiwanis committee chairs of this massive effort and worked with GVCC’s Facilities Director, Rick Van Scoy, who helped coordinate the storage and distribution. “We want to give a special thank you to The Placer Food Bank who delivered food to the church and our partners at GVCC,” Carl and Jean expressed. “This would not have been possible without their generous support.”

David Ashby, Executive Director of New Morning Youth & Family Services and Kiwanis Club member, worked with other community agencies to identify those families that could use some extra help during the holiday season.

At one of the low-income housing units in Placerville, a young mother with a 4-year-old son answered the door with smiles and great appreciation for their box, “This means so much to us and will allow us to enjoy the holidays even though times are a little tough for us right now,” she expressed. “Please let everyone know how thankful we are.”

The Placerville Kiwanis Club was chartered in 1956 and has grown to include many unique individuals, business owners, local agencies, and elected officials. Members collectively volunteer more than 3,000 hours every year in a variety of school and community causes, including Academic Decathlon, Easter Egg Hunt, City of Placerville Fishing Derby, and much more. Money raised through their annual Pasta Feed and Studebaker Wheelbarrow Races help support six high school scholarships and the Central Sierra Regional Occupation Program for Culinary Arts.

Throughout the year, Placerville Kiwanis facilitates three high school Key Clubs (Ponderosa, Union Mine, and El Dorado High Schools), the Markham Middle School Builders Club, and the AKTION Club of El Dorado County. Key Clubs include student members who volunteer for activities like maintaining the Kiwanis Family House which provides lodging for family members whose loved one is being treated at Shriners Hospital for Children or U.C. Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

Placerville Kiwanis weekly meetings are educational, fun, not mandatory, and provide amazing networking opportunities. Guests are always welcome to attend the first, second, third, and fifth Wednesdays each month at noon and the fourth Wednesday each month at 6 p.m., at the Smith Flat House (2021 Smith Flat Rd. Placerville, CA 95667). For more information about the Club, visit http://www.placervillekiwanis.org/

For questions and information about how to become a member or visit a meeting, contact info@placervillekiwanis.org or call Carl Hagen at (530) 957-0149.

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