Annual food drive says ‘thank you’

The 23rd annual Santa Comes to Agoura was once again a monumental success. This remarkable event was due to the generosity of so many members of our community. One hundred percent of all donations was used to purchase groceries, turkeys and grocery store scrip. Gifts and toys were donated.

With your kind help, we helped the following: local families who are experiencing difficulties due to lack of employment and other unforeseen circumstances beyond their control; shelters for battered women and children; victims of AIDS, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome; shelters for the homeless; Ronald McDonald Hospital; Many Mansions in Thousand Oaks; the Burn Unit at Sherman Oaks Hospital; L.A. Optimist Boys and Girls Home; Rancho San Antonio Boys Home in Chatsworth and families in South Central L.A. and Camarillo.

The success would not be possible without the dedication, generosity and hard work of so many volunteers: Lost Hills Deps. Fuquay and Castro; Santa Claus (aka Steve Holt); Tommy Boldger for providing the doves; the entire staff of Adelphia Cable of Westlake, Newbury Park, Simi Valley and West L.A. (and especially Allan McDaniel, William Rosendahl, Carlos Williams and Terry Williams); Do-It Center (Jess and Angie Ruff); Agoura Equipment Rentals (Mel Adams); Dr. Laurie Robinson; the Annino family; the Agoura High School Dance Team; the Brookside Elementary School Chorus; Dr. David Halpert; Bill’s Home Service; Jennifer Calabrase; Steve Bonifede and the Wolfson family.

And thank you, too, to the following for their contributions: the Wolfson Family Foundation; the management and employees of Costco in Westlake Village; the Farmers Insurance group; Trader Joe’s of Westlake Village; the Whizin Family Foundation; Agoura Beautiful; the T.H.Q. Company; the Tommy Boldger Jr. Foundation; John and Mary Lou Herferd; Los Robles Medical Center (Kris Carraway Bowman); Kurtz Food Services; State Farm Insurance; Albertson’s grocery store in Calabasas; Temple Beth Haverim; Jim and Lisa Rule; The Acorn staff; St. Maximilian Catholic Church; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Westlake Village; Conejo Valley Congregational Church; Calabasas Rotary Club; Ed and Bernie Kurtz; U-Haul of Agoura Hills; the Agoura-Las Virgenes Optimist Club; Mom’s Club; Agoura Valley Women’s Club; the Agoura 4-H Club; the Birthday Girls and Money Wise.

Thanks to the special dedication of the following teachers: Beth Roth, Chris Lokrey, Heather Sloan, Helen Kopperberg and the students of Oak Hills Elementary School for adopting 40 seniors at the Magnolia Gardens Convelescent Center.

All of the above would not be possible without the teamwork of the Santa Comes to Agoura Committee. This dedicated group of ladies worked countless hours from early March through December to make this event possible (Patti Wolfson, Lynda Hoffman, Ann Housel, Alicia Tyson, Dana Biederman, Cindy Rushing, Jill Kimel, Michele Baxter, Andrea Lewis and Karen Dorin).

Thank you everyone who became involved. You did make a difference to other people’s lives by your showing of compassion. May you have a healthy and prosperous New Year.

George Annino and

the Agoura-Las Virgenes Optimist Club