FV Rotary Club sends two trucks filled with collected donations to help young Marine families at Camp Pendleton
The Fountain Valley Rotary Club has for the third straight year stepped up to collect donations for young Marine families stationed at Camp Pendleton.
On Jan. 13, the local Rotary club held a collection day and gathered used furniture, baby items, kitchen needs, bedding, towels and more.
The Marines dispatched a 20-foot truck to Fountain Valley and the Rotary Club rented and loaded a 26-foot truck.
The Rotary truck was driven to Camp Pendleton by City Councilman Ted Bui, a former Rotary Club president.
The donated items are transported to the Warrior Warehouse, which has been operated by the Rotary Club of Camp Pendleton for the past 17 years.
Marine families can come to the warehouse and take whatever they need to set up their apartments. To date, more than 11,000 Marines families have benefitted from the effort.
“When a young Marine reports for duty to Camp Pendleton, he brings his young family and often shows up with just what will fit in their car. They are given a small, empty apartment with no furniture, kitchen equipment, baby items -- nothing,” said Chef Marla McGee of the Fountain Valley Rotary Cub. “There have been families sleeping on the floor because they were not provided with beds.”
McGee said the local Rotary Club jumped in to support the effort three years ago and has held collection days twice a year to help keep the Warrior Warehouse well stocked. Other Rotary Clubs throughout California have joined the effort as well.
During the Jan. 13 collection, several FV Rotary members and their spouses took part in the collection, which was held in the parking lot of the Center at Founders Village.
“We want to humbly thank all those who came out to donate,” McGee said.
“We will be doing this again in June or July. We will publish the date once we have one.
For more information call Marla Mc-Gee at (714) 394-5856.