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Community With A Heart – Thanksgiving Food Drive provides food baskets for 130 families in the community

The DeAnza Lions want to thank Safeway, the community and all Monta Vista High School volunteers for making our 31st Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive a huge success. This year we provided Thanksgiving food boxes to 130 needy families in our community, including low income families with kids in Hughes Elementary school, the Sunnyvale Support Network for battered women and others.

2010 has been another tough year for many people in our community. With no real rebound in the overall economy, more people lost their source of income, increasing the number of those requiring food support, while donations were generally down. The DeAnza Lions Club, preparing for the 31st annual food drive, was facing a few additional obstacles: the Sunnyvale PakNSav store, venue for many food drives had been closed, and the new Safeway built there in lieu had not yet opened.

Still, the food drive was put on the agenda, as usual for the weekend before Thanksgiving (Nov 20th – 22nd) and things started to fall into place.  The new Safeway Store opened – as scheduled – on Nov 11th, and gave permission for the food drive.  Another Safeway (S. Bernardo) was added to the drive. Fellow lions, their spouses and/or friends, as well as LEOs, CSF and Octagon members from Monta Vista High School braved the cold and windy weather, handing out shopping lists to patrons, asking for contributions, however small, for our food baskets. Needless to say that more patrons did their shopping in the brief sunny intervals and thus also the donations of food and money were up during those periods.

On Sunday morning, the sorting of non-perishable food items proceeded in the Odd Fellows Hall on Homestead/Saratoga-Sunnyvale road – we are grateful for the free-of-charge use of this convenient venue for our food distribution.

On Monday morning, the food baskets were supplemented with the perishable goods, and distributed to low-income families and people in need whose names had been collected previously

In the face of tight economic times, we succeeded in filling 130 food baskets (2 boxes of food, together worth $ 75 each) – food items that will provide for a generous Thanksgiving dinner and quite a few meals beyond.

In addition, 46 turkeys and two pick-up trucks/beds full of foods were delivered to the Sunnyvale Community Services to supplement their food bank.

The DeAnza Lions Club gratefully acknowledges the donation of food and funds of approx. $ 12,000 during this food drive.

We also thank each and every volunteer, especially the members of the newly founded LEO club, and the owners of the Safeway Stores, for donating time and energy and money to this worthwhile cause. Happy faces and kind words of thanks met the Lions who delivered the gift baskets.

A big Thank You again to the patrons of the Safeway Stores for opening their heart and wallets to help people in need.

Happy Thanksgiving!

DeAnza Lions first collaboration with Project Linus…

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DeAnza Lions first collaboration with Project Linus results in 9 new blankets for needy children!!!

Lions Leslye and John Noone introduced the DeAnza Lions Club to Project Linus by inviting us to their home for a hands on lesson in making handmade fleece blankets.

Project Linus is a non-profit organization which provides blankets and quilts to children who need help and support through some of life’s tough places.  Volunteers known as “Blanketeers” provide hand made blankets as gifts for these children. The South Bay/San Jose Chapter has donated over 24,000 blankets since April 2002.

DSCN8905 Approximately 5 Lions, some of their family members, and 5 new Leos met on April 8th and made 9 blankets in the 2 hours they worked together.  Lion Carl even took a fleece home with him and made the tenth blanket on his own! It is an extremely rewarding and worthwhile community outreach program. The Noones look forward to hosting the DeAnza Lions for more “Blanketeering” nights in the months to come!  Everyone, Lions or not, will be welcome to share in the fun, the great fellowship and, most importantly, the community outreach.

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Look who’s got new eyeglasses…

On January 15th, 2010, DeAnza Lions Kathy and Kerry took 2 middle school age students to LensCrafters® at the Westgate Shopping Center (San Jose) for an eye examination and prescription of eyeglasses, sponsored by DeAnza Lions Club. When the lion ladies arrived at the school to pick up the kids, they were warmly greeted by the office staff, thanking them for helping these children. The sensitive and professional optometrist at LensCrafters® also expressed her gratitude to the lions and the DeAnza Lions club for reaching out and getting involved.

Both the kids that Lions Kathy and Kerry met were extremely polite, excited and grateful for the help our club provided. The girl did not stop smiling the entire time. Her brother received his glasses immediately, while the girl had to wait a few more days. Lions Kathy and Kerry again took the time to take her back to LensCrafters®.
Needless to say that both lions received a huge hug from the kids.

Lions Kerry and Kathy, together with the DeAnza Lions Club thank LensCrafters® for their professional and sensitive help

DeAnza Lions get hearing aids for students

January 10, 2010

Esther Halwani, a counselor at DeAnza College Special Education Division, had a hearing-impaired student that needed new hearing aides. Abit Baral, a 19 year old exchange student from Nepal, had difficulties following his classes because his hearing was severely impaired. Esther Halwani located information on the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) website about the Lions “Affordable Hearing Aid Project” and contacted the organization. LCIF referred her to the Cupertino DeAnza Lions Club.

Lion Ray Lancon, DeAnza Lions Club president, mentioned the case in one of the weekly meetings. Lion Kathy Golkar volunteered to work with Esther and her student. Together they filled out the required application documents in February 2009.

After it was determined that the student met the qualifications, the DeAnza club agreed to purchase two Rexton Targa 3 P digital heating aides, to be worn behind the ears, at a total cost of $ 400.00. Bill Forrest at Sears Hearing Aid Center located in the Cupertino Square Mall provided his services pro- bono, which included making the ear molds and programming the hearing aides.

Abit received his hearing aides beginning of April 2009. Both, Abit and Esther, attended one of our monthly meetings in September 2009 to thank our club for purchasing and donating the hearing aides. Abit said that he is doing well in school and is able to participate in group discussions. Esther stated the transformation in his self-confidence was amazing. She went on to say that prior to getting the hearing aides, he did not smile much or socialize with other students. Abit added: “I had no idea my room mate plays his radio at night when he went to bed”.

Abit continues to do well in school and hopes to transfer to Cal-Poly to study engineering.

DeAnza Lions at the 2009 San Jose Christmas Holiday Parade

Members of the De Anza Lions joined forces with Lions clubs from around the area in the always fun annual “San Jose Holiday Parade”. This year we tethered a large helium balloon of the PBS cartoon character “Arthur” down the parade route. Arthur’s eye glasses, book and backpack symbolize programs supported by local and international Lions clubs. Dressed in yellow Lions jackets, caps and yellow holiday scarves, the entourage of Lions proudly represented Lionism to the thousands of families who lined Santa Clara and First Streets, warmly applauding the service of the Lions as we passed, and to the viewers of KNTV-NBC that televised the parade. Some 125,000 people are estimated to have watched it. A number of our club members’ smiling faces was featured in the broadcast.

The San Jose Holiday Parade is considered one of the top 25 parades in the nation and is annually sponsored by Lions clubs in the San Jose area. This year’s Honorary Grand Marshall was Kristi Yamaguchi and the Grand Marshall was Santa Goofy from the Disneyland Resort.

Prior to the parade Lions from the participating clubs met at the balloon staging area off Santa Clara Street for a fun social hour including hot toddies and donuts. The warmth of Lionism was particularly welcome this year due to an unusually crisp morning. Following the parade, members of our club helped man the A.J. Robinson Health screening unit providing free diabetes screenings to many who watched the parade.

[report by Lion Kent Vincent]