Helping Hands will wrap up season next week

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The final tally for the 2012 Helping Hands holiday season will presented in  next week’s issue of the Gardena Valley News. Due to the New Year’s holiday landing on a Tuesday this year, the Christmas week’s donations will be delayed till next week.

For a great cause

Now in its 33rd year, Gardena’s holiday food drive will benefit more than 400 needy families in the community, and will serve more than 1,700 people with grocery vouchers and gifts for the kids.

The final tally for the 2012 Helping Hands holiday season will presented in  next week’s issue of the Gardena Valley News. Due to the New Year’s holiday landing on a Tuesday this year, the Christmas week’s donations will be delayed till next week.

For a great cause

Now in its 33rd year, Gardena’s holiday food drive will benefit more than 400 needy families in the community, and will serve more than 1,700 people with grocery vouchers and gifts for the kids.

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, Helping Hands took in more than $17,000 in donations, as well as palettes of canned foods from various groups.

The city of Gardena provides all staffing in the Hands drive and all monetary contributions go toward the holiday fund-raiser and the year-round food pantry. No money is used for administrative costs.

As of Dec. 23

Total (unofficial)         $17,148

1. Y Service Club of Gardena Valley  $230

2. Hoodlum Club, Inc.            $200

3. Anonymous$112

4. “In loving memory of my beautiful and much loved friend’ — Dora Sanchez to Orali Gamez    $100

5. Bill and Terri Haase            $100

6. Nellie Mationg        $100

7. Mr. and Mrs. Duffy            $60

8. George and Suzanne Hasegawa     $50

9. Virginia M. Davis    $50

10. Anonymous           $50

11. Louise Sakamoto   $25

12. John and Hae Myers         $25

Week Six

1. Southbay F.O.R. Junior Sports Association            $1,480

2. Gasket Manufacturing        $1,000

3. Italian Catholic Federation Branch No. 237           $1,000

4. Carson Gardena Dominguez Rotary Club  $500

5. Hawthorn Church Of the Nazarene            $200

6. Lutheran Oriental Church, Inc.       $200

7. Boy Scout Troop No. 683               $169

8, Richard and Virginia Castilla          $100

9. Anonymous$100

10. Sofia Pappatheodorou      $50

11. Saint Anthony’s Senior Citizen Club        $50

12. Hisashi Nakada     $25

13. David and Cherry Proval  $25

As of Dec. 10

Total (unofficial)  $11,807

Week five

1. Gardena Municipal Employee Association$1,000

2. T.J. and B. Kennedy           $300

3. Anonymous$200

4. Gary and Flo Motoyma      $200

5. Henry H. Shimabuku          $100

6. Mr. and Mrs. Denny W. Ward        $100

7. In Memory of Norma Nall by Evely B. Nall          $100

8. Don Dear    $100

9. Glen T. Shono         $100

10. Gerald and Ethel Barnes   $50

11. Yaeko        $50

As of Dec. 4

Total (unofficial)  $9,527

Week Four

1.      Gardena Management GMEO                $500

2.      North Torrance Lions Club Activity Account       $500

3.      Loyce Holt  $300

4.      Tommy and Miyoko Murakoshi            $200

5.    Gardena Valley Affiliated Committee On Aging   $100

6.      K and O Ota                $50

7.             In memory of Ann Ramirez—Shanna Tanaka            $50

As of Nov. 26

Total (unofficial)                 $7,827

Week Three

Nothing reported.

As of Nov. 19

Total (unofficial)         $7,827

Week Two

Anonymous      $1,000

Gardena Emblem Club No. 257  $600

El Camino Lions            $500

Anonymous      $125

Elaine and John                        $100

In Memory of Tom Gohata/ Brian and Joyce  $100

Mas Fujita         $100

Shelly Y. Okamura         $100

Psychology Club at Harbor College $62

D. Watanabe     $50

Kiyomitsu  and Kinuko Tamashiro   $20

Week One

Gardena Elks Lodge  No. 1919         $5,070