SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Spirit of the Season wish trees are decorating the Middletown banks and St. Joseph’s Church as well as Hidden Valley Realty and Mulligan’s in Hidden Valley.   

These trees are filled with the dreams of children on wish tree cards and thus the community is asked to shop and return a gift in a gift bag to the site from which the card was taken. All gifts should be returned no later than Dec. 7.

The Dec. 15 distribution will be held at the First Baptist Church in Middletown from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wish tree gift calls should be made to Sandy Tucker at 707-900-1070.

More than 110 families from Cobb, Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake have signed up for food boxes and gifts for their age appropriate children.  

Donations to the south county grassroots program can be made to Spirit of the Season, P.O. Box 1468, Middletown 95461.  

No funds are given to SOS from any local Christmas fund raising resource and thus they count on your generosity to make this program possible.  

The program thanks Bill and Carolyn Tobin, Mary and Donald Einarsson, Tom’s Auto Dynamic, and Larry and Martha Menzio for their financial gifts to this year’s program.

All participants must present their postcard in order to receive a food basket and or gifts.   

These postcards will be sent to the registered participants by the end of November.

Any phone calls regarding the food program should be made to Phyllis Kelsey at 707-490-2497.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – At the October and November meetings of the Konocti Lioness Club three new members were inducted into the club.

Gretchen McDonald, Barbara Isdahl and Lonny Rittler were welcomed to the club.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Library will host a free knitting class on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

At 5:30 p.m. Barbara Swanson will teach an intermediate to advanced class in sock knitting.

Attendees will need to bring these supplies for the class: a pair of size 2, 16-inch, circular knitting needles and 2 skeins of sock yarn in any color.

Helpful items to bring are small scissors, a small crochet hook, pencil and paper.

The library also will have the supply list available.

Amy Patton, coordinator of adult programs, can be reached at 707-263-8817, Extension 17105, for more information about these two programs.

The library is located at 1425 N. High St.

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – On Saturday, Dec. 1, Cal Fire Mendocino Unit firefighters will be out on the streets to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association to help Jerry’s Kids.

The “Fill-the-Boot” fundraiser will be in Ukiah at the intersection of Airport Park Boulevard and Hastings Avenue (by Applebee’s Restaurant).

The “Fill-the-Boot” fundraiser will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are asking everyone to come out and help the firefighters support Jerry’s Kids.

When you drop dollars into the firefighter’s boot, you are supporting local MDA services, research for neuromuscular diseases, a clinic at UC Davis, summer camps and community education programs.

The MDA does not receive funding from state, federal or local governments, nor does it seek or receive fees for services it provides.

The fire service has been a long running supporter of the MDA. Its history began in 1952 when the father of a child, who was burdened with a neuromuscular disease, in desperation, sought the aid of George Graney, International’s Association of Fire Fighters Local 718 member and the help of the Boston Fire Co.

Immediately, 20 firefighters set out to conduct a door-to-door canister drive that raised $5,000 to help with the child’s medical expenses.

In August of 1954, Graney spoke at the IAFF’s bi-annual convention and proposed that MDA be established as their “charity of choice.” He gained unanimous approval and this marked the beginning of a formal bond between the IAFF and MDA.

Cal Fire took on the challenge to support Jerry’s Kids statewide in 2008.

This is Mendocino Unit’s third year of involvement with the “Fill-the-Boot “fundraisers.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Post Offices will be closed nationwide on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22.

Postal officials said and there will be no delivery or collection of mail that day. Only Express Mail will continue to be delivered.

All Post Offices will be open on Friday, Nov. 23, with normal mail delivery resuming that day.

Customers may call 1-800-ASK-USPS, or visit www.usps.com for hours and information about specific Post Offices.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Food Pantry will have its next food giveaway on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

The giveaway will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Kelseyville United Methodist Church, 3810 Main St.

During the last giveaway on Nov. 13, the pantry served 191 guests and gave away 70 bags of groceries.

The pantry’s usual grocery list is peanut butter, jelly, pasta and a variety of toppings, rice, boxes of rice, boxes of pasta, spaghetti noodles, tuna, cereal, powdered milk in individual packets, canned veggies, canned fruits.

You can drop it donations at Kelseyville Presbyterian Church, 5340 Third St., any weekday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The high school K-Corps, the Riviera Elementary and the Boy Scouts are collecting cans before Thanksgiving, and Westamerica Bank and TNT Mini storage will do Christmas food drives for the pantry so it can collect enough to keep stocked a bit longer.

The food pantry holds giveaways on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.

For more information, call Kelseyville United Methodist Church, 707-279-4664.