'Angel's Depot' to help feed needy seniors

By: TOM MORROW - Staff Writer | Friday, December 30, 2005 11:01 PM PST ∞

Susan Stames Hall has a dream to help impoverished senior citizens, and it's about to come to fruition. Getting enough to eat is a primary problem for those elderly folks who have to subsist on small, fixed incomes.

Susan came up with an idea to hand out nutritious food boxes with enough provisions for a week, delivered periodically to needy senior citizens throughout San Diego County.

Her "Angel's Depot" will provide these food-for-a-week boxes with the help of volunteers, senior centers, churches, nonprofit organizations and government social and healthcare workers.

The food boxes will be nutritionally balanced nonperishables packed by volunteers working out of a space in Vista.

"We need only raise $130,000 in additional funds to set up housekeeping in the Business Park area," Susan told me. "Supervisor (Bill) Horn committed the first $150,000, followed by Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort, and Harrah's Foundation for contributions totaling $80,000."

And, Susan reports that she's getting yeoman efforts out of a number of North County volunteers to help her with this admirable goal.

Valley Center's Al Pfeltz designed the packing table that will be constructed so that volunteers can easily form an assembly line for putting the various food items in the boxes. And, carpenter Brian Magone of Vista has volunteered to build that table.

San Marcos' Nancy Devincenzi volunteered her fundraising experience by heading up a committee to stage a gala fundraiser later in the year.

Susan needs money and lots more volunteers to do a variety of tasks to make this worthwhile project a success. Call her at (760) 931-9433.

THEFT RESCUE ---- When Vista's Mark Boucher read about the break-in at The Boys & Girls Club of Vista, and the loss of their video computer, he called the club and asked for a list of the stolen equipment. Mark told Peggy Reiber, the club's executive director, he would replace the equipment. Mark, who is the branch manager at Raymond James Financial Services Inc., in Vista, took the specifications and ordered them from Dell Computers. As he was placing the order, Mark decided to upgrade the original computer for a faster model with more memory, saying it was the least he could do.

"Santa doesn't always dress in red," Peggy reckoned.

GROANER ---- At the conclusion of an arms conference with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev, President Ronald Reagan, who was noted for his direct and concise explanations, described the resulting proposal as being "disarmingly simple."

Notes for Tom Morrow can be e-mailed to tmorrow@nctimes.com, or call (760) 901-4074. Find his previous columns on the Internet at www.nctimes.com.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.