Firefighters launch food drive to help the needy
As part of their inaugural Firehouse Food Drive, San Diego firefighters are accepting donations of nonperishable food items at all 45 fire stations in San Diego through July 30.
The drive began this month to help those in need throughout the entire year, rather than just during the holiday season as is often the case.
The food will be collected and distributed by the San Diego Food Bank.
Donations can be dropped of at Fire Station 15, 4711 Voltaire St., and Fire Station 22, 1055 Catalina Blvd.
OB fund-raiser dinner set to aid Entryway Fund
Very soon residents can enjoy a decadent wine-pairing meal for a good community cause at Thee Bungalow in Ocean Beach.
To help raise critical dollars for the Ocean Beach Community Development Corporation’s Entryway Fund, the group is organizing a special dinner Aug. 8 and extending an invitation to residents with a passion for OB.
“We expect people from the community and people from outside the community. People that care about Ocean Beach,” said Ann Kelsey, a member of the OBCDC board of directors.
Tickets for the four-course French-inspired meal ” each course served with one of the many selections of wines offered by the restaurant ” are $150.
“We can hold a hundred people, so we are hoping to raise $15,000,” Kelsey said.
All proceeds will go to the entryway fund.
Some of the projects slated in the Entryway Master Plan are the unification of the northern entryways into Ocean Beach, the improvement of traffic flow, the enhancement of access to Robb Field and the creation of a safer environment for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The goal is to create an entryway and streetscape that reflect the unique flavor of the community, said Kelsey.
“We want to maintain the character of OB,” Kelsey said. “Our goal is to encourage people to take an active part in the Ocean Beach projects.”
The fund-raising dinner will take place from 6 to 9 p.m.
Thee Bungalow is located at 4996 West Point Loma Blvd.
For more information, visit www.OBCDC.com or call (619) 224 1648.
Point Loma man named to Arc of San Diego
The Arc of San Diego has announced its slate of 2007-08 board of directors, which includes residents of Point Loma and Pacific Beach.
The board will be led by Tom Harmon of Chula Vista, who will serve as chair.
The Arc is one of San Diego’s largest human-service agencies supporting children with mental retardation.
Founded in 1951, the Arc serves more than 2,500 children and adults with disabilities throughout San Diego County.
Members-at large will include Gerald Hansen from Point Loma and Nancy Reynolds from Pacific Beach.
Reynolds has been a longtime client of the Arc of San Diego and recently joined the board of directors.
Hansen has been a member of the board for about 30 years and is involved in the fund-raising and building committee.
“This year we are trying to raise enough funds to build the facility on Market Street,” Hansen said.
“The Arc does an exceptional job in volunteer participation. We are able to provide very good resources,” he added.
Reynolds said she wants to provide input and direction to make the ARC an even better organization than it already is.
“ARC has helped me to grow my business, so I thought it was time for me to give something back,” Reynolds said.
“I was fortunate being a customer of Arc and I appreciate how the Arc provides disabled people with jobs,” Reynolds added.
Cancer Society set
to host health forum
The American Cancer Society is planning to host a community forum, “Access to Care Community,” on Friday, Aug. 3, to inform the public about issues that might emerge when loved ones are diagnosed with cancer.
The forum begins with lunch at 11 a.m., followed by the program at 11:30.
“We want to use the cancer story to show the impact of being underinsured or not insured at all,” said Lynda Barbour, health promotions director for the American Cancer Society.
The community forum will focus on community leaders and cancer patients.
The American Cancer Society hopes to highlight that winning the fight against cancer is dependent on the expansion of access to quality care, said Barbour.
“We will have cancer survivors and caregivers who talk about their experiences,” Barbour said.
During a panel discussion, experts will address current healthcare reform issues.
People interested in the participating can register by calling (619) 682-7475.
The forum will take place at the Starboard Room at the Marina Village Conference Center, 1930 Quiviera Road.
Ocean Beach herbalist
to hold book-signing
Herbalist and author James Green will be signing books on Saturday, July 28, at Coastal Sage Gardening in Ocean Beach. Green will discuss and sign copies of the second edition of “The Male Herbal,” a guide to men’s healthcare.
The “Male Herbal,” originally published in 1990, has sold close to 75,000 copies, according to Green.
Green, who is also the author of “The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook,” said he wrote “The Male Herbal” in response to the lack of literature about men’s health in mainstream bookstores, and because “men don’t tend to seek healthcare lots of times.”
“Women are more into preventative and more sustained care, which is where herbalism comes in,” Green said. But in contrast, men ” haven’t been as receptive to a more organic, more holistic healthcare until now. We’re realizing that prevention is far better than waiting around to get sick.”
Green, an Ocean Beach resident, regularly conducts workshops on male health at In Harmony Herbs & Spices in Ocean Beach.
Green is the founder of the Simplers Botanical Company and the American Herbalists Guild, and has served as the director of the California School of Herbal Studies.
Green will be signing copies of his books at 7 p.m. Saturday at Coastal Sage Gardening, 3685 Voltaire St.
Discovery Shop holding
semi-annual sale
The Point Loma American Discovery Shop, 3609 Midway Dr. Suite C, is holding its semi-annual storewide sale between Friday, Aug. 3 and Sunday, Aug. 5. Customers will be able to save 50 percent off all store items.
Currently the store has an abundance of housewares and a few pieces of Thomasville furniture, according to Brandie Gallegos, assistant store manager.
“Some of the houseware is very elegant,” Gallegos said.
Additional store items include gently worn clothing and accessories for men, women and children, some of which have designer labels.
The new shop location is at the southeast corner of the Von’s shopping mall, just around the corner from Kinkos.
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
For more information, call (619) 224-4336.
Watercolor Society sets new juried exhibition
The San Diego Watercolor Society at Liberty Station will be presenting a water media exhibition featuring more than 75 paintings from San Diego artists, both professional and amateur.
The juried exhibition opens on Wednesday, Aug. 1, with an opening reception on Saturday, Aug. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. The show runs through Aug. 28 and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the gallery is free.
This year’s juror is Norma Soule, a watercolor artist and teacher. She picked the artwork to be exhibited.
The gallery of San Diego Watercolor Society is located at NTC Promenade in Point Loma on 2825 Dewey Road, Suite 105. For more information, call (619) 876-4550 or visit www.sdws.org.