Immediately Needed Items...

This is a special request from Anna Chan, The Lemon Lady.

Please visit:
www.concordfamily.blogspot.com.

If you have further questions, please contact
Anna at 510.406.1625 or AnnaAndAva@gmail.com.
Or, contact George McDowell at McDowellnson@gmail.com.

Hoping the community can PLEASE help gather these simple, yet very much appreciated and NEEDED items to assist the McDowell family with the clean-up efforts of their totally destroyed home. The list below represents the most immediately needed items. Thank you so kindly.

Old towels/rags
Old t-shirts
Batteries - Sizes: D, AA, AAA
Safety Pins
Band Aids
Rubbing Alcohol
Peroxide
Miscellaneous First Aid Supplies
Kleenex, Paper Towels
Plastic Heavy Duty Garbage Bags
Zip Lock bags, large size
Dish Soap
Water
Drinking Cups
Paper disposable plates, cups, etc.
Plastic Chairs, Tables for sitting, that can be hosed off
Straw Broom
Dust Masks
Garden Hose(s)
Tarps
Shoe Boxes/Lids Bedding: Twin Sheets, Full sheets
Medical equipments: Nebulizer for breathing

Let me introduce you to a neighbor...

George McDowell and his sweet son Logan.

Photo courtesy: www.MisterWriter.com

Perhaps you've heard of the devastating fire which destroyed their house on 4th of July. www.Claycord.com originally reported the story. The McDowell Family has asked the community for nothing in terms of help, yet I see a sincere family in great need.

Concord - Let's come together and bring good things to the McDowell Family. Please contact me at AnnaAndAva@gmail.com for ways we can lend our help. Please read Andre' Gensburger's touching tale of the McDowell family's struggles to gather the pieces.

Visit The McDowell Family at Concord Family Blogspot to follow their story:

http://www.concordfamily.blogspot.com/.

Know an inspiring teacher who would like to win $5,000?

This sounds like a fun contest for teachers, coaches, administrators, counselors and other educators. Read the contest and nomination rules. Brush up on your writing skills...sip lemonade under a shade tree...and put pen to paper. Let's put Contra Costa County on the map with a local winner. Have fun today!

The EXPO Extraordinary Educator Contest will begin on July 13, 2009 at 12:00:01 A.M. ET and end on September 15, 2009 at 11:59:59 P.M. ET (“Contest Period”). Learn more from their website: http://www.expoeducator.com.

Meet Larry Sly, Executive Director at The Food Bank of Contra Costa And Solano...

Larry Sly, Executive Director of The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
Anna Chan, The Lemon Lady
Tom Benner, AKA Officer Vic, KSFO’s morning traffic reporter

In June, I attended the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano's "Afternoon in the Admiral’s Garden” presented by Tesoro Golden Eagle Refinery. It was a spectacular fundraising event, with dozens of gourmet food, dessert and wine tasting booths. I encourage anyone passionate about the hunger cause to consider attending next years' festive event. You will meet other fine individuals who work endlessly behind the scenes to bring food to those who need it most in our community.

Learn more about Larry Sly by visiting the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano's website, or the Food Bank BLOG. Mr. Sly is an amazing individual, a true local hero who has dedicated a lifetime to the hunger cause. Sly was one of the original employees of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano when it first opened over 30 years ago!

Food Bank Contra Costa warehouse: 4010 Nelson Avenue, Concord, CA 94520 (925) 676-7543
Food Bank Solano warehouse: 1891 Woolner Suite I, Fairfield, CA 94533 (707) 421-9777

Danville Weekly, Fresh fruit in the garden and what to do with it...

Danville Weekly published a nice article about my friend Mira Goetsch of Alamo. Mira has started her own one-woman fruit harvesting campaign against hunger. I have profiled Mira before on The Lemon Lady blog. If you live in Mira's area, she is an excellent volunteer harvesting fruit and delivering to local pantries. Mira's contact information can be found at http://www.mirafruitharvesting.blogspot.com/.

Click below to read entire article.

Column - Friday, July 10, 2009
Fresh fruit in the garden and what to do with it
by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

http://www.danvilleweekly.com/story.php?story_id=6311

Drive-Thru Donations Accepted in Concord at The Salvation Army Food Pantry...

The Salvation Army
3950 Clayton Road
Concord, California
(925) 676-6180

Click HERE for directions to: The Salvation Army Food Pantry at Clayton Road/West Street which serves over 500 families monthly. They accept fresh produce, canned or boxed food donations and many other household items.

Many area residents are unaware there is a Food Pantry at this location. The thrift shop is located in a different retail center across town.

The Lemon Lady, Fruit Harvesting for the Hungry

Anna Chan
AnnaAndAva@gmail.com
Cell: 510-406-1625


The Lemon Lady
Fruit harvesting project in the local news…


April 2009 - The Concordian Newspaper, Local Act of Kindness Brings Fruit To The Hungry Page 6, Volunteer Combats hunger pound for pound with fruit http://www.myconcordian.com/Issues/2009%20April/index.html

April 13, 2009 - KALW Crosscurrents Radio Reporter, Martina Castro
http://crosscurrents-economicedge.blogspot.com/2009/04/lemon-lady.html

March 20, 2009 - The Clayton Pioneer Newspaper, front page, Volunteer Combats Hunger http://www.claytonpioneer.com/CEPDFS/2009_Clayton_Pioneer_0320.pdf

March 18, 2009 - KGO Newstalk AM810 Radio, Bret Burkhart Interviewed Anna Chan, The Lemon Lady, on location at The Salvation Army in Concord http://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org/news_files/lemon_lady.html

Click below to listen:

Podcasts - Good News: The Lemon Lady
In this installment of Good News, KGO's Bret Burkhart tells us about Anna Chan, who gathered fruit from neighborhood trees that would've otherwise ended up in the green bin, and took it to very grateful food banks around the Bay Area. You might say her plan came to fruition!

March 13, 2009 - Food Bank Contra Costa and Solano
One-woman door-to-door campaign against hunger
http://foodbankccs.blogspot.com/2009/03/one-woman-door-to-door-campaign-against.html

March 11, 2009 - Diablo Magazine, writer Martha Ross
http://www.diablomag.com/D-blog/Best-Of-Editor-Picks/March-2009/The-Lemon-Lady-of-Contra-Costa/

February - April 2009 - www.CLAYCORD.com - Lemon Lady of Claycord http://claycord.blogspot.com/search/label/Lemon%20Lady%20of%20CLAYCORD

April 21, 2009 - LOCAL LEMON LADY SEEKS FELLOW LEMON LADY
March 19, 2009 - TALK ABOUT GARDENING ON CLAYCORD.com
March 18, 2009 - THE "LEMON LADY OF CLAYCORD" ON KGO RADIO
February 27, 2009 - THE LEMON LADY OF CLAYCORD, STILL PICKIN'
February 19, 2009 - ANNA DOES IT AGAIN, OVER 450-LBS COLLECTED
February 10, 2009 - CLAYCORDIANS WHO CARE ABOUT CLAYCORDIANS

February 16, 2009 - www.MisterWriter.com, writer Andre' Gensburger http://ccexm.blogspot.com/2009/02/feeding-hungry-with-leftover-fruit-well.html

February 16, 2009 - Soccer Mom news blog, Local Hero: Clayton Woman http://crazyinsuburbia.blogspot.com/2009/02/local-hero-clayton-woman-finds-simple.html

January 23, 2009 - The Clayton Pioneer Newspaper article, scroll to page 9 http://www.claytonpioneer.com/CEPDFS/2009_Clayton_Pioneer_0123.pdf