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Highlands Today

Tanglewood Prepares Its Christmas Food Drive

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By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: December 21, 2008

SEBRING - Two-by-two, hundreds of Tanglewood residents turned out Friday at its community center to help feed needy families with its annual Christmas food drive held in conjunction with the Salvation Army.

Dozens of tables stacked with boxes and cans of all sorts of foods to make a holiday meal were rapidly being emptied by teams of residents, some were couples and others were singles who were paired up together.

Resident Ruth Barron, with the park's Recreational Vehicle Club, said their hope this year is to fill enough boxes to feed 350 families. It was well organized as RV club members stood at each table directing the people.

"But I think we're going to go over," Barron speculated as the line to help fill boxes filed past her. "The residents here at Tanglewood donated food and many of our committees raised the money from different functions they had.

"We also got a very generous donation from Tanglewood Community Church. We wouldn't have made (our goal) without their very generous donation."

Also the club received gift cards from the Sebring Winn Dixie, Wal-Mart and the new Publix supermarkets.

"We've had teams of shoppers shopping for six weeks to buy the food," said Barron. "This is the day we put it all in the boxes for the Salvation Army."

Hundreds of boxes were donated by the Salvation Army for this purpose.

"This is the seventh year our RV club has done it," she said. "The first year we filled 80 boxes and as I tell people, 'We've come a long way baby.'"

Another group was doing it for about two years before the club took the project over.

Also the park owner John Greytak donates a gift of one ham for every box the club fills, said Barron.

"This year there are so many people who need help," she said. "When we're all done the Salvation Army picks them up."

It has a very long list of needy people it will get the food boxes to.

The goal is to give a complete holiday meal in each box and as many extra meals as they can.

"It's a worthwhile cause," she said. "And to show there are a lot or wonderful people in Highlands County who are willing to help others.

The shoppers had to be very careful with the money they got.

"With the way the cost of food was going up, we took advantage of a lot of sales this year," said Barron. "We have some of the best lady shoppers you know."

Joe Seelig can be reached at 863-386-5834 or jseelig@highlandstoday.com.

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