The Rotary Club of Tehachapi’s 12 Days of Christmas Food Drive is now underway, with the organization putting out the call for donations to help seniors and families in the greater Tehachapi area.
Rotary Club Community Services Chair Rhonda Brady said the drive, which sees donors fill a box with 24 items, two per day of Christmas, for people in need, is looking for support this year especially.
Brady said the drive originated during the COVID-19 pandemic when the club had to shut down its annual Holiday Lunch for safety.
The lunch was a big event, offering turkey and all the fixings every year for free, drawing more than 300 people in its last year, and its absence prompted Brady and her fellows to think of something new.
“We felt bad that nothing was going on, so we came up with this,” she said.
She said the drive has evolved in the years since, with Mountain Bible Church helping with storage, along with the city and its police department making deliveries, and plenty of donators either filling boxes themselves or donating to Rotary so its volunteers can fill them.
At a recent City Council meeting Tehachapi Community Engagement Director Key Budge encouraged people to participate in this event, which helps people in a very moving way.
“It’s powerful,” he said at the meeting.
Unfortunately, Brady said, they don’t always get enough donations to cover the demand, and while they fill as much of that gap themselves, prices of items are going up.
“We do the best we can,” she said.
She said it’s a lot to ask of a community, especially these days, as it’s becoming understandably difficult for many to afford filling up a whole box themselves.
She said she’s hoping Tehachapi’s businesses may be willing to help and they are putting out the call for donations anywhere they can.
Anyone interested in filling a box can find a list of 24 items to buy, though everyone is encouraged to add anything else that may be helpful to a senior or family in need, such as socks, bathroom items, blankets, etc.
Those items are cereal, oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, boxed potatoes, peanut butter, jelly, tea, coffee, dessert mix, cookies, sugar, vegetable oil, canned beans, rice, spam, crackers, spaghetti sauce, pasta, two cans of soup, two cans of vegetables, a can of tuna, corn bread mix, ramen noodles, and a jar of apple sauce.
The last day of collection will be Dec. 9 with distribution Dec. 11.
Drop-off locations include Tehachapi News, The Loop, City Hall or the Tehachapi Police Department.
People can call or text 562-900-1696 for information, or email HMRenter@aol.com if they or someone they know would like to be a recipient.
Dining and Cooking