Worcester County Canned Food Drive

Worcester County seeks public participation with food drive

 Worcester County Volunteer Services and Liquor Control are hosting a canned food drive for the Maryland Food Bank (MFB) from Jan. 31 through Feb. 7.

All county employees and the public are invited to participate.

Canned food items can be deposited in specially-marked Maryland Food Bank barrels at these participating locations:

• Worcester County Jail in Snow Hill

• Worcester County Branch Libraries: Ocean City, Ocean Pines, Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke

• All Department of Liquor Control (DLC) Shore Spirit Retail Liquor Store locations

• Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill

• Central Landfill storage building in Newark

• Cape Isle of White Offices in Bishopville

Letter To The Citizens of Pocomoke City....

This letter was previously mailed to the citizens in the Pocomoke City Fire District.

Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company, Inc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

October 2012

Dear Neighbor,

This is National Fire Prevention week and each year at this time the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company conducts our annual sustaining campaign. this is when we ask for you financial support in helping the fire company meet its budgetary needs for the day to day operation of the organization.

The cost of maintaining a first class emergency response operation is staggering. We are fortunate to receive outstanding financial assistance from the City of Pocomoke, Worcester and Somerset Counties, and the State of Maryland.  However, these funds do not completely cover the full amount of our budget and that is why we come to you each year asking for your generous donation.
                
These are exciting times for our fire company. While many volunteer organizations are having difficulty filling their ranks, we are very fortunate to have a roster of over 70 dedicated active volunteers who, at a moment's notice, are ready to answer your call for help. Our members are all trained as certified firefighters and many have specialty advanced certifications such as hazardous materials technicians, rescue technicians and fire prevention specialists. In addition the fire company has a very active Cadet Corps for youths beginning at age 14 who are interested in joining the fire serve. The program has proved to be very successful and the cadet corps has made a significant contribution to our fire company.


From an emergency response standpoint, your fire company has experienced a very busy past year. We answered nearly 250 alarms for fires, rescues, motor vehicle accidents, and hazardous conditions. This translates into thousands of hours of volunteer service by our devoted firefighters.

This coming year will mark a major milestone in the history of your fire company. Incorporated in 1888, the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company will mark its 125th anniversary in 2013. Our organization is one of the oldest continuously active volunteer fire companies in the nation. We intend to celebrate the anniversary with several community events and we will keep you informed of our plans during the year.

In closing, we thank you in advance for your kindness in helping to sustain our organization. We do hope that you consider our request for support for we must depend on your generosity to maintain the level of fire and rescue services that you and your neighbors deserve. We have provided a self-addressed envelope in which you can return your tax-deductible donation. And to see your fire company in action, please visit our website at www.pocomokefire.com.  There you will find photos, news and other valuable information about the Pocomoke
City Volunteer Fire Company.

With our sincerest gratitude,
The Members of the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company

The Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company is recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 not-for-profit organization and contributions are tax-deductible as provided by law

"Service to our Community Since 1888"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can also find the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company on Facebook.  Click HERE

**DONATIONS NEEDED**

The SPCA Eastern Shore Virginia

is having a

YARD SALE

Saturday June 23, 2012

8 am until NOON

Onley, Virginia

**DONATIONS ARE STILL NEEDED**

They are still in need of furniture, tooLs, kitchen items, clothes, electronics, collectibles, etc

You can drop donated items off Tuesday thru Saturday (10AM to 3 PM)

For more information call: 757-787-7385

THANK YOU FOR HELPING

OUR CATS AND OUR DOGS.

You Can Help These Homeless Animals In So Many Ways.....

The SPCA Eastern Shore is  still accepting monetary donations for roof repairs  so the animals that live there  and those that work there can stay dry.  This is quite an expense so they have asked the public to be kind enough to donate. 

The SPCA Eastern Shore located in  Onley, Virginia is a no-kill facility.  They provide food, shelter,  and medical care to the animals as they wait for adoption into a   forever home.  All this is very costly and the SPCA Eastern Shore runs its facility with donations from people like me and you and by sponsoring fund raisers.

If you would like to send a donation of any amount go to this website for the necessary information or find them on facebook. 

Website	http://www.shorespca.com

The SPCA Eastern Shore is always in need of items to maintain happy and sanitary living quarters for the animals that live there. 

If you can donate any of these items, please bring them to the SPCA facility in Onley, VA or if you are in Northamption County, bring them to these locations.

WISH LIST　
Cat Litter
Cat Toys
Purina Cat Chow (Indoor Complete)
Meow Mix
Can Cat Food
Cat Treats
Purina Dog Food
Pedigree Dog Food
Rawhide Chew's
Soft Dog Treats
Dish Liquid
High Efficiency Laundry Detergent
Paper Towels
Bleach
Dog BiscuitsCan Dog Food
Dog Toys
Moist Dog Food

ARE YOU A FOOD LION SHOPPER ??
One more important thing!  If you shop Food Lion and carry a Food Lion customer card did you know that everytime you shop there a portion of your grocery total  gets donated to the SPCA Eastern Shore?   And it's so easy to sign up for.

Read the simple instructions and do it today!

YOUR ANIMAL FRIENDS WILL THANK YOU!

　

26528 Lankford Hwy.
PO Box 164
Onley, VA 23418
757-787-7385
email shorespca@verizon.net
P.S.  Belly rubs for the lonely animals are always welcomed.  Check their  website for hours.

'Promises- A Prom Boutique' Needs Your Help

The organizers of Promises- A Prom Boutique are looking for donations of gowns and accessories of all kinds to make this year's event to be held on March 18-20 a huge success.

Your tax deductible donations will enable young women with financial hardships to attend their proms.

All kinds of dressy apparel and jewelry may be dropped off at any Hospice Thrift Store, the Lighthouse Ministries Thrift Shop or the Foodbank Thrift Store, just tell them it's for the Prom Boutique.

WANTED - Slightly Used Coats

Onley United Methodist Church will have a free coat closet on the 2nd Saturday of each month starting November 13 from 9:00-11:00 AM for anyone in need of a coat.

For more information or if you are unable to come during this time, please call the church office at 787-4155 or Jeannette Edwards at 787-1436.

Have a coat to give? Drop it off at the church or the Onley Town office.

Check your closets. Have your neighbor check theirs. Everyone has those old coats hanging from year to year. And every year you say this will be the year to get rid of them. Well, let THIS be the year! If you have any slightly worn coats in your closets get them out and donate them to the needy.

If you are unable to drop them off in Onley ask in your area where you can take them. There are needy people all around us and alot of them would appreciate the warmth your unused coat will bring to them or to their loved one.

Do it today.

jmmb

Sheriff's Office Begins Christmas Fund Drive

SNOW HILL -- The numbers have been growing ever since the Worcester Sheriff's Office began its annual program to insure that children are remembered at Christmastime. This past year there were more than 1,500 children who enjoyed a Christmas thanks to the Sheriff's Christmas Program.

With the economy still far from normal, about 400 families have been referred to the program as of mid-November. Dena Holloway, the coordinator, is receiving referrals from state and county organizations, schools, and churches. Once they are referred she has to interview each family. She also compares her list with other organizations such as Worcester County G.O.L.D. to insure that there are no duplications.

Each year she hears from people that were not on the lists in the past. "Some of the families have stories that are heartbreaking," Holloway said.

Families helped by the program will receive toys for the children, clothing if needed, and food for the members of the family.

Contributions can be made in the form of toys, non-perishable food and clothing or by sending in a check. Holloway said that she would prefer new toys and/or new clothing. Dropoff locations for donated items include all branches of Taylor Bank; DeNovo's at the south Gate of Ocean Pines; and Five Below near Ocean City. If anyone wishes to make a monetary contribution they can mail it to Worcester County Sheriff's Office, 1 W. Market St., Room 1001, Snow Hill, Md. 21863, Attn: Dena Holloway. Contributions can be accepted until Dec. 17.

As in past years, there is one contribution that Holloway desperately needs: non-perishable food. Last year the program helped 1,532 children in 485 families, exceeding previous years. Thirty-two senior citizens were also given assistance.

Another area in which the program has been of assistance is helping families who have been burned out of their homes. The Christmas program began in a small way in 1981 and has been growing each year since that event.

www.delmarvanow.com

5 Year Old Donates Life Savings To Fire Department

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Financial support to help rebuild the Sissonville Volunteer Fire Department has poured in from across West Virginia and the country, but none touched members of the department more than the donation of one boy's savings.

On Saturday, Joshua Shaffer, 5, wearing a firefighter's hat and jacket -- his Halloween costume -- donated $45.85 from his plastic piggy bank.

The money, made up of change, was his life savings.

The department lost its main station, three trucks and nearly all of its equipment in an electrical fire on Oct. 1.

Shaffer's donation epitomizes the support from the community, especially the children, said Tom Miller, secretary of the 40-member department's board of directors.

Elementary, middle and high school students from across Kanawha County and the state have raised more than $5,000 through fundraisers, Miller said.

"There are just no words to describe it," Miller said.

J.T. Shaffer, Joshua's father, said Saturday his son decided to donate his savings after watching a YouTube video of the fire that destroyed the main station.

"They can't do it all by themselves," Joshua Shaffer said Saturday, after presenting the jar of coins to members of the fire department at Sissonville High School.

In honor of the donation, members of the VFD presented Joshua with a certificate, naming him an honorary junior firefighter.

He also shook each firefighter's hand before getting the chance to climb into the unit's fire truck and push a few buttons.

Joshua said Saturday he's already planning to begin saving money for "Big Josh," a fire truck the department plans to purchase and name after him.

The Sissonville VFD is operating out of the garage of Charleston Auto, just down the road from the burned-out station. The department runs three fire stations to cover an area of about 125 square miles.

Even after the loss of their main station, members of the volunteer department have not missed a single call, Miller said.

The fire destroyed nearly $2 million in property, equipment and vehicles, he said. The department's insurance will cover damage to the trucks and building, which totals about $1 million.

Insurance coverage for the lost equipment has not been settled.

Miller estimates that the department needs to raise an additional $350,000 to completely rebuild and re-establish itself.

The outpouring of support has been "overwhelming," Miller said.

In just two months, the department has raised about $100,000 through donations, fundraisers, and corporate and state pledges, he said.

Offers of help also have come from outside West Virginia. Fire departments from as far away as California, Alaska and British Columbia have donated equipment and supplies.

The department must have a plan to rebuild and re-establish itself by May, Miller said.

Without a plan, insurance policies of the people who live within the department's district could be affected, because the unit is operating out of a temporary location, he said.

The department is working on a plan, Miller said, "but "I have no idea where, or when we'll build. There are still a lot of questions that have to be answered yet."

Members of the Sissonville VFD will host a holiday family-portrait event from noon to 8 p.m. today at Sissonville High School. Portraits cost $10.

Additionally, the department is sponsoring a Dec. 18 holiday bus trip to Elkins. Tickets are $65 and include dinner, entrance to a Broadway-style show, time to shop in the area and transportation.

To book a ticket for the holiday trip, call the fire department at 304-984-0674.

www.wvgazette.com

Couple Wins Lottery - Gives Almost All Away

Allen and Violet Large figured they were lucky enough already.

So when the Canadian couple hit it big in the lottery this year, they decided to give it away -- all of it. Since their July win, the elderly couple has donated nearly every cent of their $11.2 million winnings to charity. Call it the Larges' largess.

"What you've never had, you never miss," Violet Large, 78, told The Chronicle Herald in Canada. She and her 74-year-old husband, who live in Nova Scotia, said they first made sure their family was taken care of. But then, she said, they decided the money was "a big headache."

So in a matter of just four months, they gave away the rest of their millions to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and local churches, according to The Chronicle Herald. They also donated money to the hospitals where Violet Large was fighting cancer this year.

The Larges play the lottery twice a week and say they'd never won more than $1,000 before this year. But July 14 was different. After choosing numbers in "Lotto 649" that day, Violet Large said she first thought they'd won only $10. Then, she took a closer look and was in shock. "'Oh my God,'" she said she told Allen that day at the couple's home, according to the Truro
Daily News. "I said, 'Come and check these numbers.'"

But Allen Large, a retired steel worker, said he was more concerned with his wife's health than with the cash. "That money that we won was nothing," he said. "We have each other."

Violet, who has completed her treatment, told the paper that she and Allen were happy to be done with the money and have no interest in living extravagantly. "We're the lucky ones," she said. "I have no complaints." The humble couple, who did not immediately return a call for comment today from AOL News, will not say how much they gave to each charity.
www.aol.news

Help Support "OPERATION WE CARE" !

BERLIN -- Barrett Chevrolet is now a drop-off location for donations to Operation We Care. The dealership is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The dealership is located at 10419 Old Ocean City Blvd. and backs up to Route 50.

Operation We Care will pack boxes on Nov. 14, the Sunday following Veterans Day, to be distributed to our military personnel deployed in harm's way. Boxes will be delivered before the holidays. The donation list is available online at www.easternshorehog-com. Cash donations will be used for postage, as each box costs $12.50 to ship to the troops. The Ocean City Post Office delivers most of the boxes to Iraq and Afghanistan in about a week to 10 days.

If you know a local member of our military who is deployed or is soon to be deployed, please contact Jeff Merritt, coordinator of Operation We Care, at 410-713-8940 or jemerritt314@-yahoo.com.

www.worcestercountytimes.com

84 Year Old Farmer Donates Harvest To Salvation Army Food Pantry

CUMBERLAND — Lou Simmons believes that if every farmer were to donate a small portion of each harvest to the poor, no one would go hungry in America.

Simmons, who turns 84 next month, is doing his part by donating every single apple, pear, peach and cherry from his modest orchard atop Irons Mountain to the Salvation Army in Cumberland. Salvation Army volunteers distribute more than 30,000 pounds of fruit from the Simmons orchard each year.

Kitty Willison, director of social services at the Salvation Army on East First Street in South Cumberland, said the fresh fruit adds to the agency’s food pantry and is a highly desired commodity each season.

“Something like that would be a little different,” Willison said. “A lot of times (clients) will ask us if we have fresh fruit or vegetables.”

On Friday, eight young men from the Green Ridge Youth Center in Flintstone toiled under the supervision of Mark Miller, resident adviser, on a cool and breezy morning. Simmons expected that over a four-hour period, the youth center crew would pick and pack into small boxes approximately 2,000 pounds of apples. Maybe more.

The adjudicated youth are not being named due to their status as minors. However, they were pleasantly surprised at the variety — and the taste — of apples of various sizes.

“Is this edible?” one young man asked.

After Simmons sighed, smiled with patience and assured him it was, the boy took a hesitant bite.
“Actually, it’s pretty good,” the boy said before heading to the nearest apple tree.

It wasn’t long ago when Simmons, believing he was nearing the age of retirement, envisioned an empty orchard and planned to cut down his trees. He credits Judy Hodel, director of the youth center, in saving both the orchard and people in need from going hungry.

“When she found out, she says, ‘Don’t you dare,’” Simmons said. “Without her, there’d be no more orchard.”

Simmons used the opportunity to chat with the boys — he loves to tell a tale — and suggest that they use their time at the youth camp wisely.

“I don’t know what you did and I don’t care,” Simmons told the group while on a short break. “Get yourselves straight. Work hard.”

Hodel believes the work and the atmosphere serve the boys well. She credited Simmons with sending the camp some apples to share with everyone, providing the work crew lunch “plus lots of stories.”

“It’s a beautiful place,” Hodel said of the Simmons orchard. “It’s a place of serenity in its own right.”

The boys, Hodel said, “get a sense of helping other people. They get a work ethic. They get some teamwork skills (and) social time that’s not out getting into trouble on the streets. A lot of them probably have never experienced an apple orchard.”

Hodel is thankful Simmons is willing to keep the orchard operational.

“He does a great service,” Hodel said. “He feeds people with his apples. He donates everything he has. I hate to see that get lost.

www.times.news.com

Harry Potter Author Donates To MS

LONDON (AFP) – Writer J.K. Rowling has donated 10 million pounds to set up a new multiple sclerosis (MS) research clinic, the Harry Potter author revealed on Tuesday.

She hopes the clinic, to be based at the University of Edinburgh, will become a world centre for excellence in its field.

The facility will also aim to help researchers find out more about other incurable neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease.

The clinic will be named after Rowling's mother Anne, who suffered from MS and died at the age of 45.

The author said the new clinic, which is expected to be completed within a year, will place patients at the heart of the research and treatment process.

Rowling said in a statement: "It is with great pleasure and pride that I am donating 10 million pounds to the Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh, which is to be named after my mother, Anne."

"I am incredibly impressed by the calibre of clinicians and researchers that Edinburgh has already managed to attract to make this project a reality, and I truly believe that it is set to become a world centre for excellence in the field of regenerative neurology."

The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will be based in a purpose-built facility within the University's Chancellor's Building, next to the city's Royal Infirmary at Little France.

It follows the setting up of the Centre for Multiple Sclerosis Research at the university three years ago, which also received support from the author.

The university said Rowling's 10 million pounds is the single largest donation she has given to a charitable cause. It is also the largest single donation the University has received.

www.yahoo.com

Cut-A-Thon TODAY!! Proceeds To Benefit Courtney Bloxom

Two hair cut-a-thons are being held today for a very special cause. All proceeds will be donated to the family of Courtney Bloxom. Courtney still remains in ICU in a coma from an auto accident in May. If you don't need a hair cut stop by and drop off a donation. Although Courtney continues to make progress in her recovery every day the process has been slow for her and the many family members and friends that love her and continue to pray for her every minute of the day.

Her journey back to being the healthly teenager she was just a few weeks ago will be long and costly. Please help in any way you can if only in prayer.

CUT-A-THON FUNDRAISER

STUDIO HELENE

Sunday June 13, 2010


8:00 AM until 12:00 PM



42 King Street


Onancock, Virginia
Haircuts $10.00/$15.00 (I read two prices)


Donations also accepted.

If a haircut suits for later in the day..........

CUT-A-THON AND BAKE SALE

HAIR ART SALON

Onley, Virginia (next to Food Lion)

Sunday June 13, 2010

12:00 PM until 4:00 PM

$10.00 per cut - no blow drying or styling

7 stylists available

While there enjoy the Bake Sale...

cakes, cookies, brownies, sodas, homemade iced tea, freshly squeezed lemonade

100% of the proceeds will help fund Courtney's recovery.

Donation Account Set Up For Crash Victim's Family

The family of Courtney Bloxom has set up a Donation Account at all PNC Bank.

Bloxom was involved in a single car accident where she recently struck a tree. Due to weather conditions, the EMTs were unable to medical-evacuate Bloxom to the hospital. Bloxom slipped into a coma due to a brain injury. She also suffered broken ribs and a lacerated liver.

Though she continues to make progress in recovery small steps at a time Courtney's parents are facing a tough road and are asking for any and all donations.

Simply walk into any PNC Bank Branch on the Eastern Shore and ask to donate money to the Courtney Bloxom Donation Account.

Friends close to Bloxom say her swelling has gone down substantially, but she remains in a coma like state.

For more information call Pam Kilmon at 665-6218.

Taken from Shore Daily News.


``I have withheld the account number to this account until I know it is wise to post it. Hope it does not cause any inconvenience.
Or you can find it by going to www.shoredailynews.com ~~

Your donations are appreciated and so are the many prayers.

Please continue to pray for Courtney.

"Matter of Trust" Creates Hair-and-Nylon Booms To Help Oil Clean Up In Gulf

Can human hair and pantyhose save the Gulf?

Well, no, it can't. The oil slick spreading from a damaged drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana is already too massive for any quick fix, no matter how well intended. But the environmental calamity has inspired a quirky grass-roots campaign that seeks to use donated hair and animal fur to create oil-absorbing booms.

The idea, promoted by a San Francisco-based nonprofit group called Matter of Trust, is to collect tons of hair and fur to stuff into nylon pouches, in this case used or defective pantyhose. When strung together in sausage-like skeins, the hair booms could be set in the water to collect the encroaching oil.

Hair, as anyone who hasn't shampooed in a while knows, absorbs and holds oily materials well.

Matter of Trust is coordinating the collection of hair and fur through thousands of salons, pet groomers and ranchers. It has collected more than 450,000 pounds of the stuff from people around the world. The organization is storing the raw material in warehouses throughout the Gulf region. Meanwhile, volunteers in the area have hosted 19 "Boom-B-Qs" during which participants stuff hair into the nylon casings.

"We're all growing this natural resource ," says Lisa Gautier, who co-founded Matter of Trust with her husband, Patrice, 12 years ago. "It doesn't get more renewable than this. We think it's a safe, non-toxic way to do the clean-up."

The movement has picked up corporate support, too. Hanes has donated 50,000 pairs of pantyhose, and Petco, the pet-supply and grooming chain, says it will donate as much as a ton of fur clippings per day.

It's not clear how much of a dent in the problem the hair booms can make. Lisa Gautier says it takes about 15 pounds of hair to create a 12-foot boom. If all 450,000 pounds of hair were stuffed and deployed, that would create 360,000 feet of barrier, or about 68 miles' worth.

The joint industry-government task force that is supervising the cleanup effort has more than 150 miles of industrial booms to block and absorb the oil in place around the Gulf.

What's more, Matter of Trust isn't authorized to place booms; only government agencies and volunteers certified by the official joint command are legally permitted to do so.

But there's plenty of need: "We're finding that everyone wants to boom everything," says Mark Proegler, a spokesman for BP, the oil company that is legally responsible for the cleanup. "There's just not sufficient boom to do that. Every parish thinks it's the most important."

BP has had no contact with Matter of Trust, but it appreciates the effort: "We certainly don't want to discourage any of the people who've expressed a willingness to help," Proegler says.

The feel-good aspects of the project aren't lost on Washington salon owner Jacqui Davis, whose 15-store chain, PR at Partners, is participating in the effort. "It's another way to be green and recycle," Davis says. "We're happy to help out. We're telling our clients who want to take just a couple of inches off to cut it shorter and pick up some more oil. It's great to be able to say you contributed in some way."

If everything goes as planned in the great hair boom deployment, it does raise another question: Who cleans up all of that hair?

The booms, Lisa Gautier says, would be BP's responsibility. The company would likely incinerate the booms after picking them up, she says.

www.washingtonpost.com

"Prom Boutique"

This Spring, The Woman's Club of Accomack County along with the thrift shops of Hospice of the Eastern Shore and Lighthouse Ministries will be presenting a "Prom Boutique" where any Eastern Shore girl can outfit herself for the Prom with new and gently used gowns, dresses and accessories at greatly reduced prices.

Donations from the community are needed to make this a reality. Help these girls dress for this important event by cleaning out your closets and bringing gowns, dresses, shoes, jewelry and other dressy accessories in good condition to either Hospice thrift store in Onancock or Exmore or to Light House Ministries thrift store in Onley or call Lynne Calvert at 442-3812 for pick-up by March 12th.

All proceeds from this event will benefit Hospice of the Eastern Shore and Lighthouse Ministries.


www.shoredailynews.com

Pocomoke Samaritan Shelter Fundraiser/Bake Sale

This Christmas season, there will be many less-fortunate people who have nowhere to stay, no songs to sing, no family to be with. The Samaritan Shelter, a non-profit organization which aims to provide shelter to the needy, will be holding a bake sale this Saturday, December 12th at Heart N Home Gift and Country Store, in Pocomoke MD. Please come out and enjoy delicious homemade treats and donate to the Samaritan Shelter as we try to provide for those who do not have family to be with this Christmas season. Also, all purchases made at Heart N Home Country Store and Floors, Décor & More will see a 10% donation to the Samaritan Shelter.

Please come out this Friday and Saturday to Heart-N-Home Gift and Country Store and Floors, Décor & more this Saturday and help the Samaritan Shelter.



This is such a wonderful organization with lots of hard working and caring citizens. Please pass on the spirit of Christmas and giving by attending.