KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Food Pantry volunteers wish to thank all who have helped to feed the hungry.

The pantry distributes food on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.

Recently, it celebrated its one-year anniversary. In that time, it has grown from distributing three bags of food on the first day to distributing 76 bags on March 26.

During the year, volunteers have given out 733 bags of groceries feeding 2,115 people.

Yes, the lines were long at the beginning of each giveaway, but no one was turned away for the two hours the pantry was open.

Along with the bag of staples such as cereal, rice, canned fruit, vegetables, peanut butter, pasta and sauce, the pantry was able to provide fresh potatoes, onions, carrots, apples, oranges and bread.

The estimated value of each bag of groceries is around $28 to $30 per bag. Multiply that by the 76 bags or more given out each time and one can see that the pantry spends almost $1,100 a month.

The pantry has relied heavily on the talents of some incredible bargain shoppers and thanks to the generosity of the people of Kelseyville in the form of money and donations of non-perishable items, the pantry has been able to keep up with the growing demand.

With the continued support of the community and the Kelseyville Presbyterian, the Methodists and the Unitarian Universalists churches, the pantry will be able to continue to feed the hungry.

The food pantry has accomplished so much with no administrative costs, but as the need grows, more community people – and not just church members – need to get involved.

Donations can be dropped off at Kelseyville Presbyterian Church during office hours, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or on Sunday mornings at any of the other churches.

If a company is willing to put out collection boxes or have food drives please contact Julie at the KPC at 707-279-1104.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The last full weekend of every April, one of the oldest festivals in California’s Central Valley unfolds in Woodland.

The Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival is the third-oldest Highland Games in the U.S. and the second-largest in the Western states.

Experience traditions of the Scottish Highlands in two days of Celtic music, dance and athletic competition, history, animals, art, clans and cuisine at the Yolo County Fairgrounds.

The Sacramento event is known as “the friendly games,” because it has a family atmosphere where everyone is welcome. It draws professional athletes, musicians, drum majors and dancers from around the world, including competitors and performers from Scotland and Ireland.

It wouldn’t be Scottish Highland Games without bagpipes, and they’ll have nine pipe and drum bands, competing in three skill-level grades. Details are online at www.saccallie.org/games .

The nonstop musical entertainment includes the Celtic rock bands Wicked Tinkers and 1916, Irish folksinger Seamus Kennedy, and Morghande, a Celtic group from Lassen County.

Local Scottish fiddlers will be led on Saturday by well-known recording artist John Taylor, while Celtic harps will round out the musical menu.

Also in Scottish tradition, Saturday night will feature a Ceilidh (pronounced “KAY-lee”), or evening party, featuring live entertainment and a catered dinner by Ludy’s Main Street BBQ and Catering. Tickets for the Ceilidh can be purchased separately for $17/adult or $12/children.

For more information, please visit the Caledonian Club’s Web site at www.saccallie.org/games or call 916-538-9887.

The St. Andrews Society will sponsor an Open Piping Piobaireachd Contest, Sunday morning, with cash prizes for the top three pipers.

Another special event is a drumming competition in honor of Scottish percussionist and former foothills resident Jimmy Brown, who played in many games, and enjoyed the Sacramento Games during his later years. The drumming award will be presented during Saturday’s closing ceremonies with the massed bands, at 4:45 p.m.

This is the first year they have offered open piping and drumming contests, which should attract even more outstanding musicians than usual to the Sacramento Valley Scottish Games.

British food, Celtic art and merchandise, the amazing Hennigan Spinning Frisbee K9s, huge Clydesdale horses from the Jack London Ranch, Highland cattle and other animals typical of Scotland round out the variety of fun. There’s even a seminar on fine “Scotch” whiskey that includes tasting (and costs $20).

Come see why the Sacramento Valley Scottish Games & Festival has been a permanent fixture here since 1877.

LAKEPORT, Calif. –  The Lake County Rodeo Association will hold its Rodeo Kickoff Dance on Saturday, April 27.

The event, a fundraiser for the 84th annual Lake County Rodeo, will take place from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Fritch Hall at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.

The doors and bar opens at 5 p.m., with a buffet style barbecue tri tip and chicken dinner served from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dancing to the Blue Rock Country Club band begins at 8 p.m.

A live auction has prizes including a two-person duck hunt, which includes food and lodging; Marlin Saddle Gun 336W 30/30 lever action; and a one week stay at a QM Resort in Lake Tahoe or Sparks, Nev. In addition guests will have the opportunity to win many great raffle prizes.  

Tickets are $25 per person and can be obtained at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, 707-263-5092, credit cards accepted or Rainbow Ag at the front counter.  

For further information, call Dance Chair Angel Purdy at 707-349-1991.

The 84th annual Lake County Rodeo will be held at the fairgrounds in Lakeport at 7 p.m. Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Relay For Life invites all survivors and their caregiver to a complimentary breakfast Saturday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Terrace Middle School cafeteria, 250 Lange St. in Lakeport.

Breakfast consists of biscuits and gravy, sausage and pancakes.

The meal is free-of-charge for survivors and one caregiver. Breakfast for more than one caregiver is offered for a donation of $5. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

For more information, call Katrina Hickey at 707-349-1179.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Three boys, eleven girls and their pampered pets were judged to be the most creative and to have the best presentations at the Children’s Push Pull Pet Parade which took place on Saturday, March 30, at Library Park in Lakeport.

First place winners:

• Age category 0-3 and 4-6: Aliana and Camilo Salmon with their pet goat;
• 7-8: Nya and Layla Marcks dressed as Dorothy & the Wizard of Oz with their Chihuahua;
• 9-12: Anabelle Petty sporting a “Got Cheese” look with her Boston Terrier.

Second place:

• 0-3: Mavrik Nestwas with rainbow hat and pet dog;
• 4-6: Alexandra Hundley with her Labrador retriever decorated as an Easter egg;
• 7-8: Katrine Brasier dressed as an Easter bunny with her Boston Terrier;
• 9-12: Melissa Bill-Rosas dressed as an Easter bunny with her puppy.

Third place:

• 0-3: no entries;
• 4-6: Sofia and Sam dressed as boy and girl bunnies with their Boston Terrier (no last name given);
• 7-8: Benjamin Martin with his Chihuahua decked out in royal red;
• 9-12: Mercedes McComb who led her dog in an Easter-decorated wagon.

All winners received gift certificates from Furry Tails & Friends and Pet Country pet stores in Lakeport.

Lakeport Main Street Association, the parade’s presenter, thanked volunteer event organizer Alan Mathews of Bicoastal Media and sponsors Pet Country, Furry Tails & Friends and Northlake Vet Clinic.  

SAN FRANCISCO – Letter carriers care about the people in the communities they serve, and on the second Saturday in May for the past 20 years they have done a lot more than collect and deliver mail.

They have picked up nonperishable food donations left at mailboxes as they visit every home in the nation.

This year will be the 21st annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Food Drive — the largest one-day food drive in the USA.

The U.S. Postal Service and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association join NALC as official sponsors in this effort to “Stamp Out Hunger.” Other sponsors include Campbell Soup Co., Feeding America, Valpak, AFL-CIO and United Way of America.

It is a very simple and easy concept: the public is asked to leave non-perishable food in a sturdy bag by their mailbox on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

That food will be collected by letter carriers and distributed to local charities that provide it to people who need it – right in the same community.

Hunger and under-nutrition in America are much more serious problems than most people realize. With current economic conditions and high food prices, more families than ever struggle to keep food on the table.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, the number of Americans living in food insecure homes is more than 50 million, with approximately one in every three food-insecure Americans being a child (17.2 million).

Through a lot of hard work, dedication and compassion, and the support of customers in the communities they serve, letter carriers collected over 70 million pounds of food last year – the ninth consecutive drive surpassing 70 million pounds collected.

The total donations received since the drive began in 1993 now stand at nearly 1.2 billion pounds of food. They are counting on the public’s generosity once again to help feed the hungry this year.