Rancho del Chino Rotary helps needy for Christmas in Chino

The Rancho del Chino Rotary club will be packaging food and gifts on Friday, Dec. 19, and then deliver the baskets on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008, to needy Chino families.

The Club asked students at schools in Chino to hold food drives to fill the baskets. Under the direction of Rotary member Rod Federwisch, 10 schools that feed into Chino High School donated enough food to fill 100 baskets. The Club purchases a ham for each basket as well as toys for the children.

The basket assembly will take place at 1 p.m. on Friday at the Carolyn Owens Center, 13201 Central Avenue, Chino. Members will meet again on Saturday at 8 a.m. at the center to pick up the baskets and deliver them.

"This is one of the many charitable events that we hold throughout the year and very much a favorite among the club," said Club President Jamie Harwood. "Oftentimes, this is the only celebration that some of these families will have. But it also is a reminder to us as to how fortunate we are and that just around the corner from many of us, there is a family in need."