LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Changes are on the way for a south county program that helps those in need during the holidays.
As of July 1, 2021, Spirit of the Season will be under the leadership of the Hidden Valley Community Church.
Paula Brown Oh and her spouse Scott Brown will be the new coordinators, said former coordinator Hedy Montoya.
After almost 20 years of helping to feed families at Christmas from the Middletown, Hidden Valley Lake and Cobb areas, and making sure children's wishes for a modest gift were fulfilled, it was time to offer the holiday program to another group.
As a grassroots program, always supported only by the donations of individuals, businesses and clubs, Spirit of the Season has been able to gather volunteers to give out turkeys and food boxes to more than 120 families every year or more than 450 individuals.
The Wish Tree portion of Spirit of the Season made sure specific gifts that children asked for were fulfilled primarily under the guidance of Sandy Tucker and her helpers, including Mary Ann Kenny and Laura Pimentel.
Other volunteers who made the program a success are Cynthia Tice and Paula Brown Oh, working with data collection and volunteers respectively.
Montoya offered special thanks to Lorrie Gray of the former Lake County Hunger Task Force and Tammy Alakszay of North Coast Opportunities. Wendy Gattoni has also volunteered her time to assist with community outreach, especially in the local south county schools.
Letters of gratitude have been sent to Spirit of the Season’s 2020 holiday season donors and especially to entities such as Scully Packing, Foods Etc., Perry's Deli, the Middletown Community Methodist Church, the First Baptist Church of Middletown and Hardester's Markets for their loyal support and donations over the many years, Montoya said.
“To the many volunteers, too many to mention who have handed out food boxes, helped with registration, tracked down a lost gift or went shopping, and so much more I am deeply grateful," Ms. Montoya continued. "I pray that our donors and our volunteers will continue to support Paula and Scott Brown in the coming year.”
Paula and Scott Brown can be reached at 707-953-3088.
Hidden Valley Community Church to lead Spirit of the Season program
- Lake County News reports
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