South County 'bravo' round up: Laguna Hills girl collects food donations, Saddleback Memorial Foundation gets new board members, more

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South County Outreach Director Ken Carpenter meets with Run-A-Ways wagon master Pat Martino, center.COURTESY OF ELKS LODGE LAGUNA HILLS GIRL COLLECTS FOOD FOR the NEEDY

Sarah Halasz of Laguna Hills has collected more than 546 pounds of food during her fourth annual food drive for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Halasz provided refreshments and holiday music for neighbors, friends and others who dropped off their donations in Clarington Park during her Dec. 20 event. Her drives have netted more than 1,500 pounds of food for people in need.

ELKS donate TO SOUTH COUNTY OUTREACH

The Run-A-Ways, a camping group within the Mission Viejo Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge, has donated more than 20 $15 gift cards for the South County Outreach Food Pantry program. It raised the funds by asking participants at its annual Christmas party to make a donation to the nonprofit organization in lieu of a gift exchange. The gift cards were added to family food baskets provided by the food bank.

KIWANIS CLUB DONATES CANDY TO MARINES

With the help of residents, the Kiwanis Club of Mission Viejo has collected 542 boxes of See's Candy to support Marines and their families at Camp Pendleton. Two hundred of the boxes were shipped to Marines deployed in Iraq. The Mission Viejo Kiwanis teamed up with the city of Mission Viejo's Marine Adoption Committee to deliver the boxes. In the past five years, the Kiwanis Club of Mission Viejo has sent close to 3,000 1-pound boxes of candy to the Marines.

NEW LEADERSHIP FOR MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

The 25-member board of Saddleback Memorial Foundation has seven new members to help raise funds for the not-for-profit Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills. New board members are Carol Adams, an attorney; Quinn Gilpin, who has volunteered with the Natural Resources Defense Council; Cathy Han, a retired doctor from the Orange Coast Women's Medical Group; Matthew Kimmel, a vice president with Farmers and Merchants Trust Co.; Diane Libertella, an educational evaluator; Marianne Man, an attorney; and Glenn Yasui, director of administrative services for the city of Aliso Viejo.

KIDS CHARITY GROUP TO HELP HOMELESS TEENS

The Ladera Ranch-based Kids Who Care group is hosting a Socks of Love fundraiser at 2:30 a.m. Feb.6 at the Avendale Village Club house, 1 Daisy St., Ladera Ranch.

Children can donate and fill socks with hygiene items and snacks for homeless teens through the Orange County chapter of Stand Up for Kids.

Wanted items are toothpaste, toothbrushes, , soap, hand sanitizer, small shampoo bottles, deodorant, granola bars, bandages, feminine hygiene products, razors, hand cream, shaving cream and travel-size laundry detergent.

To participate or make a donation, contact kwcladera@gmail.com.

Contact the writer: marieek@hotmail.com

Source: South County 'bravo' round up: Laguna Hills girl collects food donations, Saddleback Memorial Foundation gets new board members, more