12 Days of Christmas, a service project supporting our local seniors

On Wednesday, October 21, Tehachapi Rotary donated 35 coats to the Tehachapi Salvation Army. These coats were purchased by monies budgeted by the club along with a donation from the Walmart in Tehachapi. Rotarians Rhonda Brady and Cathy Criger went shopping at the Burlington Coat Factory in Bakersfield and Walmart a few days before, choosing coats for teenagers at the request of Salvation Army.

Tehachapi Humanitarian Relief Group - this group continues to provide packages or food and life’s necessities to families in need. Just last week they delivered over 9,000 pounds of food to over 250 families. Rotary’s donation is providing drivers reimbursement for gas. Volunteers are driving their trucks and SUVs down to Bakersfield and Palmdale to pick up pallets of food, and usually towing anywhere from 3,500-6,000 pounds, and thanks to Rotary, this group can cover gas for the trip.

12 Days of Christmas

2020 has been a challenging year for everyone and one of Rotary’s favorite service projects for our local Seniors will not be held in December. Our annual Holiday Senior Luncheon has been canceled this year due to ongoing COVID19 related restrictions.

In place of the Holiday Senior Luncheon, the Rotary Club of Tehachapi is reaching out to our community for assistance in providing food during this upcoming holiday season for our local Seniors, who need our help.

We are asking members of our community to collect the list of items, included in the ad on this page, and assemble the items into a box. A Rotarian will pick up the boxes and take them to the Senior Center for delivery to local Seniors. The recipients of these boxes of food will include Seniors enrolled in “Meals on Wheels” and other local Seniors in need of our help.

Originally, this project was designed to coincide with Advent celebrations. To enable us to provide support to recipients before Christmas Day, Rotary has condensed the timeline of this project so that the food can be delivered starting on December 14.

The items should cost a total of around $40-$50. Two items are listed each day for 12 days. You can choose to buy the items during one or more trips to the store or buy the items over the 12 days, whichever way you will find to be most enjoyable and convenient.

Boxes, with the 24 items, should be completed by December 14. See the ad on this page for delivery instructions.

The more boxes that are put together, the greater the number of Seniors in our community who will benefit from this project.

If you are not able to donate a box of “goodies” and still want to help, we ask that donations for the project be sent to Rotary at PO Box 897, Tehachapi, CA 93581. Rotary is a tax deductible 501(c)(3) organization and you will receive a tax receipt for your records. You will also receive a tax receipt when a Rotarian picks up the completed box directly from you.

Christmas can be difficult for so many. Rotary appreciates your help in making this year’s holiday a bit brighter for people in need.

The Rotary Club of Tehachapi is a volunteer service organization with the motto “Service Above Self”. If you would like more information about the Rotary Club of Tehachapi, you can visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubofTehachapi/ or contact our club’s Membership Director, Tim Trujillo, at (714) 313-6246.