New center distributes goods to the needy

People in need of clothing or food have a new place to seek help with the opening of the Willows Seventh-Day Adventist Community Service Center.

Church members have turned an old school building next door to the church into a distribution center for clothes, canned goods and some fresh vegetables to be offered free to families and individuals struggling in this economy.

Pastor Jose Torres said the church wants to open its service center once a week on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the former school on West First Avenue.

"We will take information from clients who come," Torres said, such as their names, the number in the family and what their needs are for food, clothing or both.

The statistics will be added to a service center data base, so volunteers can keep track of who has requested help and how many times they come to the center, he said.

"We will see what kind of response we get," Torres said. "We welcome volunteers in the community who want to come help or donations of non-perishable canned foods."

He added there are a lot of people in need because they have lost their jobs and finances are tight, but the church wants to be there for the community assist other churches and agencies in this effort.

Seventh-Day Adventist Community Service Centers are active throughout the country, he said, and now Willows is becoming active again.

The local church has 38 members; Torres is pastor to the Orland and Corning churches as well in what is known as "the cow district."

Volunteers Linda Smith and Trixie Smith have distributed fliers in the community about the center's distribution plans, and they helped sort and pack the items to be given away.

Besides the canned peas, corn and fruit or beans, the church will offer fresh vegetables and fruits from its garden such as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, corn, basil, cantaloupe and watermelon.

Donations also will be accepted during the distribution days and signs will list what the church will and will not take, Torres said.

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com

Know and Go

When: Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to noon
Where: Willows Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 543 West First Ave.
Goods will be in the Community Service Center building, 545 West First Ave.
Details: 934-8838