in need

Some South Lake Tahoe students in grades K-12 will be going to school on Monday with a backpack full of supplies filled up and donated by Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra.

Every year the group launches "Backpack Attack" to ensure students in need will have a new backpack and school supplies. JANSPORT donated 50 backpacks this year, and club members donated the items to go inside.

The backpacks are going to the families of clients at Live Violence Free.

The Food Bank of El Dorado County is have a free Farmer's Market for people in need in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, August 27.

In partnership with the California Emergency Food Link, the food bank is giving away one box of food to each family at the American Legion located at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

For more information, contact them at 530-621-9950 or by email at info@foodbankedc.org. They can also be found on Facebook at FoodBankEDC.org.

Studies show that an average of 4.6% of a population are in need of services to treat a serious mental illness at any given time. That number doubles in a population where people live below 200% of the poverty level (an annual income of $23,340 for 1 person, $47,700 for a family of 4 for example).

With the current population of El Dorado County at approximately 181,000, that means anywhere between 8,329 and 16,114 people are in need of Mental Health Services.

Tahoe’s rugged landscape and mild summer temperatures attract a mountain of sports events. From large events such as America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride and the Lake Tahoe Marathon to local favorites like the Tahoe Kids Triathlon, there is sports event for every ability and age group. Barton Health’s medical staff is gearing up for many of these events, but not just to compete.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and in honor of raising awareness, it is time we discuss this silent tragedy present on a daily basis in our community. The simple truth is that no child deserves to be hurt.

Unfortunately, the reason I have a job is due to the overwhelming presence of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence in society. I stand strongly behind my job and the importance of raising awareness of the impact that child abuse has on our community and providing people with the tools to stop the violence.

Committing welfare fraud and avoiding prosecution in El Dorado County is difficult thanks to the diligence of the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and District Attorney's Office who are working together to identify, investigate and prosecute cases. Last year alone, their administrative oversight and teamwork resulted in the referral of over 200 cases and the recovery of over $340,000.

The goal is simple, "Helping the youth of South Lake Tahoe to be well read and well fed."

Hunger isn't just an inner city problem. Hunger isn't just a third world problem. Hunger affects approximately 16 million children in the United States with 3 million rural community households being "food insecure."

How can children focus on solving a math problem or writing an English paper when he or she is trying to ignore the persistent pangs of hunger? School work is forced to compete with hunger.

On December 28th, Coldwell Banker Select Real Estate in Zephyr Cove decided to give back to the pets in the community by hosting a Holiday Pet Food Drive, yielding big results. Leading up to the 28th, close to 600 lbs of dog and cat food were donated to pets in need. In addition, many pet toys and other items were donated, on top of $170 in check donation.

South Lake Tahoe residents in need will be the beneficiaries of the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority Drive By Food & Toy Drive being held this week.

Bins for Christmas Cheer will be available in front of the LTVA California location at 3066 Highway 50 across from Rojo's and Snowflake Drive-In through December 14 from 9 am to 5 pm.

Christmas Cheer feeds over 400 families regularly, all year long, and the need for wholesome meals is even more important to those with children who are out of school at the holidays. For more information call 530-541-5255

Tahoe Youth and Family Services is hosting their Annual Evening of Giving on December 11 at the agency's offices at 1021 Fremont Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. Refreshments will be served at the event which is from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

The agency has a wish list oh in-kind donations for the holidays:

Items for clients:

Hand warmers
Warm sleeping bags
Winter boots (adult sizes)
Winter coats (adult sizes)
winter gloves or heavy duty mittens (adult sizes)
knit hats and beanies
Tents (new or gently used)
Men's boxers (adult size small)

Christmas Cheer, one of South Lake Tahoe’s local food banks, could not open its doors on some Sundays this fall from lack of available funds and contributions. The South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts (STAR) came to the rescue with a $5,000 donation that will significantly replenish the shelves at the food bank for the 400 households it serves.

Since its conception in 2010, the Labor Day weekend's Sample the Sierra has continued to grow and evolve. Beginning as a one-day South Lake Tahoe street festival, the event has expanded into an entire weekend of festivities celebrating the bounty and heritage of the Sierra Nevada region.

A Lake Tahoe wildlife center is having one of its busiest years ever. Animals in need have been arriving nearly non-stop for weeks.
The people who run the center are doing their best to keep up — they've got some great success stories — but the center needs a new home.
At Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, run by Cheryl and Tom Millham, a sick bobcat recently arrived, and there's a great horned owl recovering from a broken wing. The owl had surgery and now the challenge is to keep him calm and discourage him from flapping his wing while it mends.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency staff dug into their wallets and scoured shopping and grocery stores continuing the tradition of bringing a little cheer to local children and families in need over the holidays.

This year staff provided gifts of clothes and toys to 35 foster children ages 4 – 17 through Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

Sierra Resort at Lake Tahoe is proud to maintain their tradition of supporting the community this holiday season and donate canned food to The Food Bank of El Dorado County. Titled CANucopia, Sierra Resort is encouraging guests to bring canned non-perishable foods such as canned soup, dried pasta, crackers, and pasta sauce to the collection bin located at the base of the mountain next to the season pass office until January 12, 2013.

Tahoe Community Church Food Pantry is very grateful for the support of this community as we feed those in need from both the California and Nevada sides .Thank you to American Century and the LTVA ...

Tahoe Dream Foundation would like to thank Steve and his employees at Tahoe Merchants Thrift Store for donating clothing, shoes, and bedding to our foundation, continuously over the last two months...

The City of South Lake Tahoe would like to remind the community that the 2012 Turkey Trot Fun Run is being held this Saturday, November 17th at the Parks and Recreation facility at 11am. The Fun Run is a free event for children ages 3-13 and every participant will win a prize. We would also like to thank the many local volunteers, including Raley’s and Optimist Club for their support of this annual local event.

Raley’s has generously donated all of the turkeys and pies as the awarded prizes to Turkey Trot Fun Run winners.

The 2012 American Century Championship continues to benefit Tahoe South as the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority distributed $64,500 to 23 non-profit groups through funds raised during the annual celebrity golf tournament.

Ernie's Coffee Shop will hold a fundraising dinner on Friday, Nov. 9 from 5-8 pm for Chris Alper. Chris, a 33 year South Lake Tahoe local, was recently diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer. Two surgeries last month have left her in need of assistance with medical bills and living expenses during her recuperation and treatment. Ernie's will be donating 50 percent of the proceeds from the dinner. Please come join us at 1207 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe. See the menu below.

Health Care Reform continues to be the buzz word around the nation, and with the upcoming presidential election, reform will continue to be among one of the hottest discussion topics. Reform is aimed at bringing coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, while improving the quality of patient care provided. As a result, medical providers will be faced with cuts in reimbursement for patient services from government and private payers to help pay for the expanded coverage.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was conducted on August 24, 2012 to commence the Grand Opening of the new 6th Grade wing at STMS. Dr. James Tarwater and the South Tahoe Unified School Board proudly unveiled the long awaited building in need.
Incoming 6th graders for the 2012 school year will be the first to utilize this state of the art facility.