Page 5 - Mid Valley Times 12-24-20 E-edition

Thursday, December 24, 2020
The View From Here
Food distribution held in Sanger By Juanita Adame
It was nearly one year ago this week that I drove up to the area of Kings Cir- cle Drive
in Reedley. There, as
Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
The cold weather didn’t stop several volunteers with the Father Hannibal House in Sanger from handing out food during their annual food distribution on the morning of Dec. 18.
“We have about 150 pack- ages that we are giving away today,” said Rev. John Bruno of Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Sanger. “This food comes from the California Food Bank and from Walmart.”
Rev. Bruno said that the Father Hannibal House nor- mally participates in food dis- tributions but this one is dif- ferent because it’s closer to Christmas.
“Anybody can come, even if they are not from Sanger,” he said. “Normally we inter- view people inside to keep track of their families, but today we are simply doing a food distribution for those who come by.”
The boxes of food con- tained a variety of items in- cluding oatmeal, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, peanut but-
I turned and drove around the corner into the neigh- borhood, I was greeted by a home completely overtaken by fire.
I remember walking to- ward the enormous flames, the street was dark as only one fire engine had made it on scene.
The crew to that engine began setting up their hose and ladder. Other engines could be heard making their way from a distance.
As I snapped photos and video I remember hear- ing someone yelling in the background that their dog was still inside. If I’m not mistaken, the dog- a pitbull mix- was named Chubs.
The scene was chaotic and kept changing moment by moment. The fire de- stroyed the home. It was gone in a matter of min- utes.
As this season progress- es, and as more of us are stuck at home due to the pandemic, we can’t help but turn the heat up in our homes especially because its been so cold the last few days. For those without cen- tral air or heating, a space heater will usually suffice.
According to the NFPA, heating devices in the home is the second-leading cause of house fires in the country.
Remember when using a space heater, be mindful of the heater's placement. It is generally suggested that space heaters be placed at least three feet from furni- ture, according to sylvane. com.
Especially beds with lots of comforters, pillows and blankets. Those items can cause a risk of fire if they come into contact with the heater.
Look for safety features on your heater. Does it have overheating protection? And remember, never sit or drape anything over the heater.
Most importantly, turn it off when you leave the home or office.
I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season. This has been a tough year for all of us, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
We are slowly making our way through this pan- demic and 2021 offers us a fresh start and positive change.
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
ABOVE: Volunteers at the Father Hannibal House in Sanger posed for a photo on the morning of Dec. 18 during their annual food distribution.
Photo Contributed
Law enforcement personnel with the Reedley Police Department posed for a photo at Big Lots. The group purchased a variety of toys for local area children. The idea was a collective effort by the depart- ment and a way to give back to the community they serve.
Giving back to residents in Dinuba
how would we be able to give back, in trying times, in dif- ficult times?” he said. “It was almost too late in the season to do the drive by from house to house.”
Kelly said they decided to help the families they’ve di- rectly dealt with in the past. Families they know are strug- gling.
"We wanted the commu- nity to know that their police department is still here for them," he said. "And that we do care for them."
He said the entire project came together in about two weeks. "We were able to get about 180 toys," he said.
Police officers will hand out toys in the days leading up to Christmas.
Contributed
Santa Claus (Angel Garcia) was one of those giving out gifts to Di- nuba residents on Dec. 12. See story, page A1.
A display of beautiful colors at dusk. A photo of Reedley's two water towers was taken by Cristian Acevedo. The photo was tak- en with his Nikon Camera on Dec. 14 and captured the towers as well as the variety of colors in the sky at sunset. Have a photo you'd like featured? Email juanita@midvalleypublishing.com.
ter and canned goods.
"We feel very blessed to be
able to have the opportunity to help with the food distri- bution," the Father Hannibal House wrote on their Face- book page. "We would like to thank our tremendous volun- teers for their hard work in helping out and blessings to them as well."
Boxes of food contained a variety of rice, beans, milk and canned vegetables.
Reedley Police delivers smiles to local children
By Juanita Adame
Mid Valley Times
It was a gesture that Tim Kelly, an officer with the Reedley Police Department said he wanted to do to help out the community he works in.
“Last year I noticed that the Sanger Police Depart- ment took their patrol cars and went from house to house giving out toys,” said Kelly on the morning of Dec. 21. “I thought it was such a cool idea and began to think of ways that our department could do something like that.”
Kelly said with the help of his sergeant, Todd Lowery, and approval from their po- lice officers association, they made the idea a reality.
“Then we began to think,
Photo of the week
Contributed