Dear Editor: 

Downey Council PTA HELPS board members and director Beth Gendreau wish to say a heartfelt thank you to all students and their teachers and parents who participated in the school food drives that provided boxes and thousands of canned goods to the HELPS room. 

Warren High School alone gave 24,000 canned items to HELPS. 

Also a big thank you to the clubs and organizations from the Downey community who also donated funds to HELPS, as well as the local citizens who gave bags of food and dollars to the program.

The contributions enabled HELPS to provide food baskets to over 500 families during this past Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. HELPS also provided gift cards to the families so they could shop at a local market for fresh meat and produce. 

HELPS, once again, worked with the Downey Fire Department's annual "Toys for Kids" Christmas gift-giving event, which was held the same time as were the Christmas food baskets. 

HELPS appreciates the kind support of the Downey community and the contributions that made the holiday season happier for hundreds of its citizens. 

The HELPS room is located in Apollo Park on Quill and Rives Avenue in Downey. For further information, please call (562) 861-9833.

DeAnne Kiralla
Secretary, Downey PTA HELPS