Share Your Holidays Getting Ready To Serve Local Families

Jeff Funk and Patricia Dolark of the Ramona Food and Clothes Closet prepare for the distribution of toys for the "Share Your Holidays" program. Photos by Jennifer Jenkin

By Ruth Lepper

About 300 families will have a happier holiday season, thanks to the efforts of Jeff Funk and the staff members and volunteers at Ramona Food & Clothes Closet.

For more than two decades, boxes of food and toys have been given to low-income families in Ramona, Julian, Santa Ysabel, Warner Springs, Ranchita and Borrego Springs. Funk said he expects to see about the same number this year - 300 families or about 1,200 individuals - sign up for the "Share Your Holidays" program.

A few of the many toys that have already been donated to the program.

But if more people sign up, Funk wants to be ready.

Toys are given to each child in the eligible families. Donations of new, unwrapped toys always are needed to meet the quota, especially for the very young ages - infants and toddlers - and boys and girls ages 9 to 12. Teen-agers usually receive gift certificates, Funk said.

Donations of nonperishable food items also are welcome. Funk said the greatest need is for canned fruits. Gift certificates for local supermarkets are included in the food boxes so they can be used for purchasing fresh turkey or ham for holiday dinners.

Distribution of the toys will be Dec. 20, with food boxes given out the following day.

Applicants must apply in person at 773 Main St., Ramona, between 2 and 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, now through Dec. 17. Applicants must show proof of residence, such as a copy of an electricity or telephone bill.

Funk suggests applicants come in soon to apply for the Share Your Holidays program. There are specific income guidelines for the size of the family, but regardless of how many applications he will process, Funk is confident their needs will be met.

For more information, contact Funk at (760) 789-4458.

Ramona Food & Clothes Closet continues to help victims from last year's Cedar Fire by providing food, clothing and furniture at no cost.

"They come in and talk to me, then I give them a chit for anything they want in the store," Funk said. "A lot of them have come through two or three times."

And if they need anything more, Funk said they are welcome to come back again.

Funk has been the general manager of Ramona Food & Clothes Closet for 10 years. The nonprofit agency is governed by a board of 14 directors, and funding comes from sales at the thrift store and monetary contributions. The store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Funk is retired from a 26-year career in the Navy where he was a chief warrant officer. He continued to work, joining San Diego Trust & Savings as operations manager. His wife, Alice Funk, also worked at the bank.

They both retired from the banking business around 1982, shortly before moving to Ramona. Alice Funk now works as secretary for the Guy B. Woodward Museum in Ramona.