Community Corner
Laguna Board of REALTORS surprises Laguna Food Pantry
The Laguna Food Pantry was a beneficiary of the Laguna Board of REALTORS-Charitable Assistance Fund’s 19th Annual A Taste for Charity & Silent Art Auction, which raised more than $100,000. The CAF surprised Pantry chair Andy Siegenfeld with a check for $12,000 at an awards presentation last month at the Susi Q Library – far more than the amount requested in the pantry’s application.
“We were overwhelmed with the generosity of this grant,” said Siegenfeld. “It gives us an enormous boost that will help us meet our operating costs, which include rent, reimbursing volunteer drivers for gas, and purchasing supplemental food at a substantial discount.”
The Charitable Assistance Fund is a stand-alone nonprofit organization with its own board of directors. It was created 12 years ago by the Laguna Board of REALTORS to help its own members and affiliate members who find themselves struggling economically, as well as others in the community. CAF president Nancy Pooley noted, “The board of directors of the Charitable Assistance Fund are in very much tune with the community, and with the sluggish economy, we realize that many people are in need. We aimed to address this with our disbursement of $70,000 in grants to local organizations that help people who most need some help.”
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The Laguna Food Pantry provides free, fresh, nutritious groceries to low-income households. Every weekday, Laguna Food Pantry distributes 2,500 lbs. of free, fresh groceries to shoppers from area low-income households. Among those households, 20 percent of the consumers of the Pantry food are babies and children. Located at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road north of the Dog Park, the Pantry is open from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. It is run entirely by volunteers. New volunteers are always welcome. Phone: 949-497-7121 www.lagunafoodpantry.org.