Daniela D’Angelo and her two teenage daughters, Nhancye (pronounced Nancy) and Roberta, made quite a sight. On a recent Friday night at the Target store in San Dimas, they were pushing around grocery carts filled to the brim with stuffed animals, various toys, plastic eggs and the like.
A few curious customers stopped them to ask what they were doing.
“When we told them we were going to fill Easter baskets for needy children,” explained Nhancye, “they thought that was pretty neat.”
Nhancye is senior at St. Lucy’s High, Roberta a junior. When they heard their parents’ restaurant, the Golden Spur at 1223 E. Route 66 in Glendora, was sponsoring an Easter basket giveaway for Sowing Seeds for Life, they jumped at the opportunity to take part.
The giveaway, which will involve 200 baskets in all, will take place Wednesday in the DPI Labs parking lot at 1350 Arrow Highway in La Verne. It is one of Sowing Seeds for Life’s regularly scheduled giveaways held the first and third Wednesday of every month from 3 to 5 p.m.
Sowing Seeds for Life, an East San Gabriel Valley food bank founded by CEO Vicki Brown of Glendora, provides food and other products to some 6,000 needy people per month, mainly through its giveaways at DPI Labs. They are held at DPI Labs because Vicki Brown is also the CEO of that aerospace company. DPI Labs also serves as the headquarters for Sowing Seeds for Life, or SSFL.
Vicki recruited Joe and Daniela D’Angelo, the new owners of the Golden Spur, as sponsors for the Easter basket giveaway.
The D’Angelos, who say they want to be more involved in community activities in the area, have done wonders with the Golden Spur since taking over the landmark restaurant nine months ago. The place has returned to its glory days.
And it appears their enthusiasm is contagious. Their daughters, in addition to working on the Easter baskets, say they want to get involved with other SSFL charity activities and also get their friends involved.
They spent around $300 on their shopping spree at Target, and spent the good part of two days filling 100 baskets with their goodies.
They then transported the baskets to the Glendora home of Mike and Merilee Goodwin, who are SSFL volunteers. At the Goodwin’s house were another 100 baskets.
Wal-Mart donated all 200 of the baskets. Volunteers – and two teenage girls – filled them. Some of the goodies came from various sources. For example, GiveBack2God, a national organization that supplies almonds to the needy, donated chocolate-covered almonds.
But the big givers were Nhancye and Roberta D’Angelo.
It’s the kind of thing that restores our faith in the youth of today.
April 2nd, 2012 at 3:29 pm
I am so proud of these girls! It was a rainy day and we were very wet going in and out of the rain but that didn’t stop these girls from smiling!!! Hope to see you at our pantry this Wednesday when the girls and other volunteers with give out these Easter Baskets and photo each child! JOY JOY JOY!!!