Published: August 09, 2008 08:00 pm      

Northern Notes: Volunteers made dinner special

Due to unexpected space constraints some of the people were left off the list of volunteers or donors who deserve special recognition for helping make the Community Meals Program's Easter Day Dinner successful.

Meal Coordinator Sandra Svec also would like to say thank you to Pam at Lamar Advertising, TC Print & Copy and Anthony Casciani, Penske Truck, Village Press and Ken Kingsley, Sara Lee Bakery Division and Mary, Prairie Farms and Jim and Sonya Johns, Gordon Food Service, Meijer of Traverse City, Karen Hasse, Pat Sutton, Dorene Strang, Traci McCann, Elizabeth Svec, Suzane Svec, Jamie Hall, Larry Murphy, Scot Richards and Linda, Lydia Liedel, Madison McLachlan and Kyle McLachlan, Kyle Breech, Jim Houdek, Jerry Lauzon, Meredith Video Productions, and Ruby John and group who provided musical entertainment.

Sandra also sends a huge thank you to the more than 40 drivers who provided transportation to and from the dinner site, picked up bakery items or delivered meals to the homebound in Traverse City, Acme, Williamsburg, Elk Lake, Kingsley, Fife Lake, Buckley, Mesick, Harrietta, Copemish, Thompsonville, Karlin, Interlochen, Grawn, Lake Ann, Benzie, Honor, Suttons Bay, Lake Leelanau and Leland.

Sandra also would like to give a rose of thanks to all those volunteers she may have forgotten to mention and reminds them of how special they truly are.

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In July, volunteers from the Antrim County Democratic Party collected food and donations at three area grocery stores to benefit five Antrim County food pantries.

Local residents and area visitors were extremely generous in their contributions and a large amount of food plus $1,993 in donations were collected and distributed to the Elk Rapids Pantry, Ellsworth Good Samaritan, the Bellaire Food Pantry, Mancelona's Community Lighthouse Pantry, and the Mancelona Pantry, which collectively serve 1,210 families each month.

Volunteers who coordinated the food drive included Jeanette Hayes at Glen's in Mancelona, Kathy Williams at Glen's in Bellaire, and Marilyn Cobb at the Village Market in Elk Rapids.

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A two-day American Red Cross blood drive sponsored by Crystal Flash Energy in June at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Cadillac resulted in a total of 171 units.

Those receiving gallon pins were: one gallon, Debra Habian, Mesick; three gallons, Kay Reed, Cadillac; four gallons, Robert Langworthy and Pat Darrigan, both of Cadillac, and George Reynolds, Lake City; eight gallons, Lloyd LaFave, Manton; 11 gallons, Jay Martin, Cadillac; and 14 gallons, Ed Wright, McBain.

Items for this column may be sent to Northern Notes, Record-Eagle, P.O. Box 632, Traverse City, MI 49685-0632; e-mail sbeach@record-eagle.com.