By Gary Kohatsu
The Gardena Elks Lodge No. 1919 has come through with a substantial $4,000 donation to the Gardena Helping Hands holiday drive. The lodge has annually led all contributors to the Hands food and toy program since its inception 41 years ago.
A check by the Elks was presented at its monthly meeting last week.
Following the Elks was a hefty $1,000 donation by the Gardena Police Officers Association. The GPOA has been a significant contributor to Helping Hands and other community events for decades.
The GPOA and partners are also sponsoring the Jolly Trolley, which is now making its way around the community (see separate story).
There were three other donations this week: an Anonymous of $150, and $100 each from Shirley Tanaka and Donald Dear.
The five donations vaulted the holiday total to $11,015.50, Helping Hands director Jaclyn Arcos told the GVN.
Likewise, the holiday toy drive remains a vital means to ensure children of needy families are not forgotten.
Arcos said businesses collecting toys are both the Hustler and Lucky Lady Casinos, Nader’s furniture store and Nissin Foods.
City departments and parks have eight toy drop-off locations:
City Hall, Human Services, Nakaoka Center, GTrans, Freeman Park, Mas Fukai Park, Rowley Park and Johnson Park.
Now in its 41st year, the holiday program is an important part of the city’s outreach to the Gardena community.
“Our plan is to promote [the Helping Hands holiday food and toy drives] as much as possible to help as many families as possible,” Stephany Santin, Recreation and Human Services director said.
For questions regarding the registration process, contact the Human Services Division at 310- 217-9574 or email helpinghands@ cityofgardena.org
The Helping Hands program helps between 400 and 450 families each holiday season. That would include about 700 children and overall, about 2,000 people.
Families who live outside of Gardena, in the unincorporated area of the Harbor Gateway, might also qualify for the Helping Hands program if there is enough food and toys, city officials said.
For a great cause
Sponsored by the city of Gardena in cooperation with the Gardena Valley News, the holiday food drive began in 1980 as a food basket giveaway to Gardena’s less fortunate.
In recent years, food vouchers to area grocery stores have replaced food baskets, which provides families with a greater selection of food items, including dietary and ethnic items.
Last year, the Helping Hands program received palettes of canned foods and non-perishables from various groups for the holiday.
The city of Gardena provides all staffing in the Hands drive and all monetary contributions go toward the holiday fundraiser and the year-round food pantry.
No money is used for administrative costs.
As in the past, the Gardena Valley News will publish a list of contributors, with a weekly update of new donors. For more information about Helping Hands, call 310-217-9574.
• Checks should be made to “Helping Hands” and can be sent electronically to www.cityofgardena.org/events, under “Donation Opportunities” tab. Then click “Helping Hands.”
• If donations are sent by snail mail: City of Gardena, Attn: Human Services Department, 1700 W. 162nd Street, Gardena, CA 90247.
• Monetary donations should be dropped off at the Human Services Building, 1651 W. 162nd Street, Gardena.
• Businesses collecting toys are the Hustler and Lucky Lady Casinos, Nader’s furniture store and Nissin Foods.
City departments and parks have eight drop-off locations:
City Hall, Human Services, Nakaoka Center, GTrans, Freeman Park, Mas Fukai Park, Rowley Park and Johnson Park.
• Food donations are accepted year-round.
“We need items such as toys, books, art supplies, board games, sports equipment and gift cards for youth age 10 and older,” Arcos said.
To learn more about the event, contact Jaclyn Arcos, City of Gardena Recreation Department, at 310-217-9574.
