Borrego Sun - Since 1949

SALTON SEA SPOTLIGHT: COMINGS AND GOINGS ON THE WEST SHORES.

FIND at Sea View Elementary This Summer

Hunger is a tough pill to swallow. We all cringe at the faces and swollen little bellies of children in Ghana or the Congo whose survival depends on one donated meal a day – if they are lucky. Well, believe it or not, we have hunger issues here, too. Gratefully, during the school year, many of our students are able to avail themselves of the school breakfast and lunch programs, at both West Shores public schools, and student and their families benefit from the generosity of the FIND Food Bank program, which is hosted locally by Dr. Steele’s Sea View Elementary School.

The program is open to all residents and food is always distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please allow me to reiterate -- our kiddos are lucky in another food-related way: they can and do receive school-based breakfast and lunch during the entire school year, vacations notwithstanding. Here’s the rub: Summer equals vacation for many of our families. Enter two programs the aim of which is to sustain folks here:

FIND will be at Sea View Elementary on the following Saturdays:

June 9, July 15 and August 11 from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. The food bank is open to everyone and food is distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis until supplies run out.

Students attending WSHS Summer School will be offered meal service for breakfast and lunch June 4 through June 29. Registration for credit recovery classes is available now; call the school at 760-848-1300.

Frankly, I am among the extremely fortunate because I have never visited a food bank except to serve. So, I did a little research about FIND, our local food bank. I urge you to check their website for complete info, findfoodbank.org. Then, I urge you to help if you can.

Frequently Asked Questions of FIND Food Bank:

(1) WHAT IS FIND?

FIND is “Food In Need of Distribution,” which is the formal name under which we were incorporated. We operate as FIND Food Bank – the Coachella Valley’s only food bank – and the area’s hub for information and action related to hunger and food insecurity.

(2) HOW LONG HAS FIND BEEN IN BUSINESS?

FIND was established in 1983, which means we are celebrating 34 years of service in this year!

(3) WHAT IS FIND’S SERVICE AREA?

In short, we serve from Banning to Blythe, east to west, and from Landers to Salton City, north to south, which is basically eastern Riverside County, southern San Bernardino County and a smidgeon of northern Imperial County in southern California.

(4) WHERE DOES FIND GET FOOD TO DISTRIBUTE?

From a number of sources, including:

• Local and regional growers

• Local grocers and warehouse stores

• Local food drives

• Corporate partners such as Kraft, Cargill, General Mills, and ConAgra

• USDA (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture)

• Small purchases of key products to fulfill our feeding programs

Please Note: All donated food is checked for expiration dates, sorted and then placed into FIND Food Bank inventory for distribution.

(5) HOW IS THE FOOD DISTRIBUTED? FIND partners with community-based organizations across eastern Riverside and southern San Bernardino Counties to distribute food to those who need it.

(6) HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE SERVED BY FIND AND THEIR PARTNER NETWORK?

FIND Food Bank and our partners distribute food assistance to an average 90,000 individuals each month.

(7) HOW DOES FIND ADDRESS FOOD SAFETY AND NUTRITION?

We operate our warehouse under strict food-safety guidelines and are continuously working to increase the nutritional value of the food assistance we offer, including as much fresh produce as possible.

(8) HOW CAN I HELP FIGHT HUNGER IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY?

There are many ways to help — and to begin, we Thank You for taking action! We would be remiss if we didn’t point out that an obvious way to help fight hunger in the Coachella Valley is to donate dollars to the cause

Every donated $1 = 7 meals at FIND Food Bank. Yes, every $1 donated = 7 meals.

Toy Checkout!

The Imperial County Free Library has a wazoo program for families with little ones: “Check Out A Toy.” Yep, it’s true: with your Imperial County Library card, you may check out one of a wide variety of durable toys just in time for indoor summer play. Among the available options are: dinosaurs (imaginary, of course!), musical instruments, dolls, puzzles, trucks, blocks – great stuff! The program is being offered at four IC locations, Calipatria, Heber, Holtville and Salton City. As a reminder, the Salton City Library is located at 1209 VanBuren (the same building as the Salton Community Services District offices); 760-604-6956 for more info and hours.

Summer Reading Skills Program through UC Riverside

UCR Extension is partnering with the Institute of Reading Development to offer a unique summer reading skills program for children four-years-old through entering 12th graders; there are customized programs for children at all levels of the reading spectrum from struggling to very strong readers; each student is provide with a series of self-paced, interactive, teacher-guided lessons and teacher interface is always available. The program offers individualized learning components based on a specific child’s needs and includes phonics, fluency, comprehension, textbook comprehension, other study skills and speed reading; and, of course, the program emphasizes the love of reading. The cost is $229 plus S&H, as all printed course materials are mailed to the student’s home. The first series of classes starts June 11. Interested parents should contact the Summer Reading Skills Program at 800-964-9974 for questions or for a one-on-one conference to determine the parents’ goals and the child’s reading levels.

Kindergarten Enrollment for Calendar Year 2018 – 2019:

Now through May 31, 2018, Sea View Elementary School is registering children on line, and by appointment only: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Kindergarten in the fall. A child must be 5 years old by 09/02/18 or “transitional kinders” by 12/12/18. These are the documents and proofs of inoculation required to register a child:

• MMR (measles, mumps and rubella)

• Hepatitis B

• Polio

• DPT (diphtheria, pertussis [Whooping cough] and tetanus)

• Varicella

• Birth Certificate

• Physical and dental forms (available in the office)

• Social Security Card

• Proof of residency

• Parents need some form of personal identification

To make an appointment to register OR for more information, please call 760-848-1565.

Watch those Lions Roar!

While admittedly, we are a proud pride of Lions, we members of the (mighty) West Shores Lions Club, we are also working hard to support the burgeoning needs of our community. In addition to serving on various (and multiple) school and community committees, we help coach Salton Sea Slugger teams and we work in the snack bar at Slugger games, we volunteer our time to assist local first responders with traffic control, we can provide free eye exams and glasses to needy families, we belong to other local clubs and groups, assisting with their programs and activities, AND we are now starting a monthly Lions Breakfast in conjunction with VFW Post 3251, Desert Shores. We have tentatively earmarked the last Saturday of each month.

The next breakfast is tentatively scheduled for Saturday May 26; the menu is still to be determined but, for all intents and purposes, future menus may include made-to-order omelets, French toast, homemade coffee cake – just good grub and great company. All proceeds go immediately back into the community to support its programs and to the VFW help with its needs. We’ll keep you posted so you can join us.

One More Lion Thing. West Shores Lions elected new officers and board at its last meeting, Thursday, May 10. President, Fred Guibault; Vice President, Paddie Connelly; Secretary, Linda Boling; Treasurer, Gerald (Jerry) Adams; Tail Twister Bob Fricke; Membership Chair, Mayra Gopar; and, Directors, Pat Brewer, Oscar Hernandez and Charles Love. The club meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month (rain or shine, hot or cold – except Thanksgiving!) at the Property Owners Association Building in Salton Sea Beach.

Come and check us out – visitors are encouraged – and you just might decide to join us. You would be welcome. Questions: contact Fred Guibault at 760-673-8493. Good Irisher that he is, he’ll talk your arm off and issue another invitation to sit in on a meeting. See you!

ERRATA:

The Principal’s name at Juan Bautista de Anza Charter Schools is Adam Giarrusso. Also, the decision of the Borrego Springs Board of Education regarding the school’s charter renewal was postponed until the next regularly scheduled Board meeting later this month.