At a modest setup in the parking lot of Valencia Porsche, evidence of people’s generosity was juxtaposed against a flashy car show happening at the same time.
Bags and boxes of food, toys, household items, and other donations were being collected by the Santa Clarita Valley Rotary Club for the families of Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton in San Diego.
The event was part of a larger drive, for the same cause, done by more than 40 Rotary clubs across L.A. County. Valencia Porsche let the Rotary Club use its space so that crowds gathered for its “Coffee and Cars” show would be able to see their setup and hopefully donate.
Diane Kenney, newly appointed SCV Rotary Club president, said there are more than 2,000 families of Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton and that household items and basic goods go a long way in helping them out.
“Basically [it’s] the diapers, the wipes, the pots and pans, the bedding, [and] the clothes for little kids,” said Kenney. “So we volunteered last year and this year to do an event for them and they’ll come pick up all the stuff at the end of Monday, and we hope to help them out. It’s really a good cause.”
Patrick Kenney, former president of the SCV Rotary Club, said doing this type of work, especially for veterans, is rewarding.
“It’s just very rewarding, especially when you get so much stuff,” said Patrick. “The last one we had, we had it here…it was amazing. The amount we had — a trailer that was full and we had to take stuff in our cars [because] you couldn’t leave it here.”
Larry Parsons, a Rotary Club member, said the club is unique because they’re able to pick and choose where to provide support based on wherever the needs are.
“It makes it special. It’s just unique,” said Parsons. “This fall we’ll be invited to help out the sheriff’s station for their Halloween event. That’ll be the first one at the new sheriff’s station. So we’ll be up there assisting and letting kids play games and hand out candy. So there’s a way of just supporting our community.”
At about midday the Rotary Club had collected about 15 boxes and bags from around 12 people, but anticipated much more later in the day.
The Rotary Club will also be collecting donations at Valencia Porsche on Sunday, May 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.