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Community Corner

"Needy Families" Program Benefits 27 Families in Artesia

The Cerritos Optimist Club and Soroptimist Club collected more than 7,000 pounds of food, sundries and several toys from the community to help struggling families in the neighborhood.

On Saturday morning, the and , gathered to distribute more than 7,000 pounds of food, toiletries and gifts for 27 needy families in the neighborhood -- an annual tradition that has become increasingly important as more families continue to struggle through these tough economic times.

The families who receive the donations are the working poor, with parents who work every day but still struggle to put food on the table and can’t afford adequate housing. The clubs pledge their help every year to the families that the department has determined would most benefit from the donations.

The "" program organized by the clubs usually donate to 25 families, but they added two more recipients this year after members met a few people they realized were in need while shopping for groceries. This included a college student that had been living in his car and a woman who lives in her car with her daughter. 

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“We live in this amazing community where there is a lot of wealth and we think everyone is equal financially, but when you find out that someone is living in a car, in your own city, it’s very humbling," said Soroptimist President Christina Alosi. "They may look and dress regularly, but they may be living in a hotel.”

The Soroptimist were mainly in charge of collecting sundries such as deodorants and toothpaste from the community, while the Optimists gathered food donations from local schools and grocery stores. Along with the food and sundries, all the children in the families received a stocking and five age appropriate toys. Many of the toys and food were collected from . Generous support also included grants from Los Angeles County Supervisor and Cerritos resident Don Knabe, and donations from the Cerritos .

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“This drive is to help these families through the whole holiday season,” Optimist Club member Ray Lovell told Patch in a previous interview. “These are families that sometimes don’t have any food during many parts of the year, let alone toys or gifts, and we want to help brighten up their holidays.”

Volunteers and members of the clubs have been working for weeks to sort out the donations and prepare the toys for the children.

“If you ever go out and meet the families and see them get the stuff, you’re hooked,” said volunteer Louzane Kaku. “This is part of my Christmas now. I wouldn’t really know how to enjoy Christmas if I didn’t do this.”

, past president of the Soroptimist club, believes this experience has taught her to look at Christmas with a much broader perspective.

“We have no idea what they are going through," she said. "But this way, we can at least let them know that people care about them and give them a little hope that next year will be better.”

  • To get involved with the Soroptimists International of Artesia-Cerritos meets every second and fourth Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. at the in Cerritos. They were the organizers of the .
  • To get involved with the Cerritos Optimist Club contact Dr. David DeKriek at dr.dekriek@fidelityhearing.com or (562) 926-6066.
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