Thanksgiving and Christmas is approaching, and the Rotary Club of Temecula is preparing for our Annual Holiday Boxes Signature Event. We receive a list of families in need from our local schools, police/fire agencies, and non-profits throughout the Temecula Valley and the list has grown each year. Our club delivered Thanksgiving meals with all the fixings to 275 families in 2018 and I wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers are higher in 2019. Many of the same families with children that we support during Thanksgiving remain on our list for Christmas. This past year, nearly 380 kids received toys and/or gift certificates from our Rotary Club.
Our local schools begin collecting canned and boxed foods towards the end of October through approximately 10 days prior to Thanksgiving. A group of Rotarians (Rotary Club Members) pick up the donations from various schools and non-profit locations around our city and bring them to our temporary warehouse. We generally sort all the food on Saturday prior to Thanksgiving, pack the boxes on Monday evening, and deliver the boxes on Tuesday morning, two days before Thanksgiving.
We start the collection process for our Christmas Families in early December. Many of the same local schools, police/fire agencies, and non-profits step up and collect toys and gift cards for our local kids. Again, Rotarians pick up the toys from numerous locations in Temecula and deliver them to our warehouse. The toys are sorted based on age and gender of the children and are packed the evening prior to delivery. Christmas deliveries are generally 5-7 days prior to the 25th.
If you’re interested in learning more about our Holiday Box Program that long-time Rotarian and local resident, Bob Brown implemented over twenty years ago, please feel free to contact Craig Davis at 951-699-1776 or send Scott Davis an email to scott@themortgagehouse.com. If you’d like additional information regarding Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Temecula, please contact our Membership Director, Tena Caracciolo at tena@insallstars.com. You can also visit our website at rotarycluboftemecula.com or our Facebook page at facebook.com/temecularotary to learn about how we support the community. We have several avenues of service to choose from, including Youth, Seniors, Military, Homeless, and International committees.
Craig Davis is the owner of Craig Davis Family Insurance Agency, Inc. and the Immediate Past-President of the Rotary Club of Temecula.
