Bishop - Holiday food drives start this Monday

While the economy continues to slip further and further into recession, more and more residents are looking for a little leg up.
This holiday season everyone is invited to lend a helping hand by supporting the Salvation Army in its efforts to distribute holiday food packages and warm clothes and, if the need arises, help those who are having a hard time make ends meet financially.
Beginning this month, Salvation Army volunteers will station themselves throughout the Owens Valley with the famous Red Kettles and a little holiday joy.
The kettles are a familiar site, and everyone is invited to toss a little pocket change or anything they can spare into the pot. The Salvation Army will kick off the kettle program Thanksgiving Day.
Also, starting Monday, ESTA buses will be carrying Salvation Army donation boxes on each route, allowing anyone who takes the bus to make a donation there.
According to Salvation Army Board Member Sherry Tiedemann, ESTA’s donation program on local buses gives everyone an opportunity to donate, even if they don’t have transportation of their own.
The Salvation Army is also working with ESTA on the third annual Stuff-A-Bus Food Drive, which aims to fill an ESTA bus with enough food to support needy families for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
“We’re getting ready to do Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, so we’re putting out a lot more food than normal,” Tiedemann said, adding that any donations that can be provided will be accepted.
The Salvation Army and ESTA will be stationed in the Kmart/Vons parking lot from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Nov. 21 collecting non-perishable food items that will be distributed to local families for both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner packages.

The Salvation Army and ESTA are hoping to receive enough food donations to fill the floor of one of ESTA’s buses next Saturday to fill the SA food pantry and provide enough food for Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets for residents. File photos

Salvation Army and ESTA are challenging residents to come out and literally stuff the bus with donations.
KIBS Radio will be broadcasting live from the event.
“We do need donations,” said Salvation Army Major Don Bowman. “Beyond Thanksgiving, we’re going into Christmas and we’re in need of frozen turkeys and food for our food baskets.”
Anyone who does not ride the bus and is unable to make it to the Vons/K-Mart parking lot on Saturday but would like to donate is welcome to call ESTA at (760) 872-1901. ESTA will pick donations up a residents homes in Walker, Coleville, Mammoth, Bishop and Lone Pine. Bus drivers with ESTA will also pick donations up at bus shelters in Big Pine and Independence.
In conjunction with the Stuff-A-Bus program, volunteers will be working with Kmart, Coca-Cola, Model and Carl’s Jr. on the Coats for Kids fundraiser, which aims to keep local youngsters warm this winter through donations of winter clothes.
“Last year I think we had 400 coats donated and they definitely all went to people locally,” Tiedemann said. “We always have a lot of requests for winter clothes.”
“Coats for Kids is kind of tied in with this,” Bowman said. “These programs are kind of intertwined,” giving residents a one-stop spot to donate to the Salvation Army this coming weekend.