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Holiday season is well under way as Lemoore Christian Aid volunteers pack gift boxes for upcoming Christmas events
His Lemoore elves were hard at work Saturday morning, packing food boxes in anticipation of a pair of Lemoore Police Department holiday events known as Reason for the Season and Presents on Patrol, annual chores that bring presents and food boxes to local citizens.
The enthusiastic group of volunteers could be found early Saturday morning (Nov. 16) packing boxes in anticipation of the upcoming Christmas events. In this case, the food they’re boxing comes from a variety of sources: food drives, donations, local school drives – Lemoore Middle College High School and Jamison High, for example – that donate healthy amounts of canned food and other non-perishables.
Donations also arrive courtesy of local churches, the Lemoore Chamber of Commerce, and the Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department. Presbyterian pastor, Dave Dack, and spouse Melody gave up their Saturday morning to help pack food boxes alongside the other volunteers.
Lemoore’s Volunteers in Policing, a regular contributor, donated money and goods, and they’ll be on the front lines again this year helping to deliver this Christmas season.
Lemoore Christian Aid’s head elf, Karen Christensen, a Lemoore Christian Aid regular, gave up her Saturday morning, along with the agency’s director Nick Francu, to pack boxes and load them onto a trailer. “Our goal was 150 boxes, and we exceeded that,” said Christensen, a longtime volunteer.
Reasons for the Season, an entertaining and colorful event, will be housed again this year in the Lemoore Civic Auditorium on Dec. 19. In addition to food boxes and gifts, Santa and Mrs. Claus will drop by to visit with volunteers and hear from anxious children, primed with their Christmas wishes.
A day later (Dec. 20), a convoy of Lemoore police cars and other volunteers, will visit local homes, dropping off food boxes for local families.
