The Movie Gallery of Commerce, located at 1605 Live Oak St., is holding a food and toy drive to benefit less fortunate members of the community.
Regina Deuterman, manager of the Gallery since last October, is overseeing both drives.
The Gallery’s food drive will benefit First Presbyterian Church of Commerce, with all food collected going into their food bank. The food bank distributes the items to the needy in the community – and not just around the holidays.
“I think we’re doing the community a good service,” Beverly Housewright, a volunteer, said as she bustled about filling a food sack with items from the surrounding shelves. “It’s a work in progress, always.”
The volunteers at the church’s food pantry, which is a small little cupboard area attached to the back of the building, would like to remind donors that it’s not just food that is needed.
They said they need canned and dried milk, canned fruit, boxed cereal, oats, spaghetti noodles, sweeteners, and food specific for diabetics, but they are also in need of non-food items such as diapers – for children and adults – bottles, formula, baby food, teething rings and so on – things a new mother might need.
Paper bags and small boxes are another much needed commodity in the pantry.
The Gallery drive began Dec. 3 and will continue until Christmas Day. Two large boxes will be placed inside the store, one for non-perishable food items to be donated to the church, and the other for new, unwrapped toys, which will be given to the Kiwanis Club.
A club member will then play Santa, delivering the gifts to the children of Commerce.
The Gallery aims to fill up both boxes before the holiday’s end, but Deuterman hopes to exceed this goal.She also said last year’s food drive was a little disheartening, but she is optimistic that this year’s turnout will better.
“We need all the support we can get to help needy families in Commerce,” she said.
According to Deuterman, the Movie gallery also helps with the Kiwanis Club’s sponsorship of the Angel Tree every year.
Their tree is covered with red and green Christmas balls, a string of opalescent beads, and a home-made, cut-out golden star as the tree topper, and little sheets of red and green construction paper, which gives adopters details about a child that a Christmas shopper would find necessary, such as age, gender and other special needs.
Customers – or anyone for that matter – can come in and “adopt” one of the seven children on the tiny tree to buy a Christmas gift.
“There are always kids that aren’t picked off the tree. Last year I think they had over a 100 kids that weren’t picked,” Deuterman said. “What we’re trying to do is just pick up the end a little bit and help out. No child needs to be without a Christmas present.”
According to her, last year the Kiwanis club took money out of their holiday fund to purchase toys for those children not chosen.
Anyone wishing to participate has the choice of bringing in a food item, a new toy, a cash donation, which will be used to purchase a toy to donate, or they could adopt a child from the Angle Tree.
“I just want to help as many people as we can,” Dueterman said. “We’re talking about kids here.”
Donations are accepted year-round at the First Presbyterian Church’s food pantry, which is located at 1216 Monroe St.