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Food drive today benefits Valley Food Bank

Jeremiah and Jimmy Walters seek inspiration for their ornaments from Washington state heritage and resource ideas during a recent project at the Family Art Workshop at Seth Woodard Elementary School. Students were asked to make ornaments for the Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., or one of the 65 companion trees. (Courtesy of Melissa Fennen / The Spokesman-Review)
Treva Lind Correspondent
Jeremiah and Jimmy Walters seek inspiration for their ornaments from Washington state heritage and resource ideas during a recent project at the Family Art Workshop at Seth Woodard Elementary School. Students were asked to make ornaments for the Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., or one of the 65 companion trees. (Courtesy of Melissa Fennen / The Spokesman-Review)

East Valley students and staff will take holiday giving further today by gathering grocery donations for the Valley Food Bank at Albertsons in Liberty Lake.

School district staff will be on hand from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with students assisting during the morning. The volunteers hope to fill two school buses with nonperishable food donations.

Additionally, EVSD administrative staff selects a community group each holiday season to benefit from the “Warm & Fuzzy” project, a collection of blankets, scarves, coats, hats and gloves. This year, staff members chose giving the items to the Spokane Valley Community Center and Food Bank. The “Warm & Fuzzy” collection will be delivered to the center along with food donations about 4 p.m. today.

Those involved in East Valley’s “Fill the Bus” drive include students from East Valley High School, Mountain View Middle School, district staff, board members and several bus drivers, said Paul Vigil, EVSD Transportation Supervisor.

“We’re looking for nonperishable canned goods, macaroni and cheese, food that will last,” Vigil said. “Transportation has done this for many years. We will have students from the high school, and PTA is getting involved. We’ll have some of our board members there, some of the middle school groups, district staff. A lot of transportation staff will volunteer time.”

“We already have a lot of food gathered. This is one the last chances to help the community during the holidays. We did it late on purpose this close to Christmas.”

This is the fourth year for the “Warm & Fuzzy” project, and district staff this year got support from East Valley schools such as Otis Orchards Elementary and Mountain View Middle School.

Children’s ornaments will grace U.S. Capitol tree

Once a month, the home-school program at Seth Woodard Elementary School offers a Family Art Workshop. The workshop gives home-school students and their families from the Greater Spokane area a chance to create art and spend time together.

The workshop is free and focuses on a different theme each month. For the first workshop, the students were given a once-in-a-lifetime task: making ornaments for the Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., or one of the 65 companion trees. Students painted the pieces with a Washington state resource and heritage theme of their choice.

In November, the family art workshop theme was Pacific Northwest Native Indian Art. All workshops are held at Seth Woodard Elementary School, 7401 E. Mission Ave. For more information, contact Melissa Fennen, a Learning in a Family Environment program director and teacher, at 921-2160.

The next workshop will be in late January.

School groups plan tree disposal services

Area school groups are offering post-holiday Christmas tree disposal services.

In East Valley, a Christmas tree disposal service is being sponsored from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 30-31 and Jan. 6-7 by East Valley Senior All-Knighter group. Trees can be dropped off for $7 at Wellesley and Sullivan in East Valley High School’s southwest corner. The group also can arrange tree pick-up service for $10 by calling 979-4927. This group is raising funds for an all-night, substance-free graduation celebration.

In the Central Valley region, the University High School Band and Color Guard will offer this service Jan. 6-7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A tree pick-up service is offered for $10. Call 228-5307 to schedule collection dates. Also, trees can be dropped off during these dates for $5 at these sites: University High School, 32nd Avenue and Pines Road; University Elementary, 1613 S. University Road; and Broadway Elementary, 11016 E. Broadway Ave.