Community

The South Lake Tahoe Cancer League's annual See's Candy Sale will be at the American Legion Post #795 in the entry hall Saturday and Sunday, December 19/20 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Candy purchased from the Cancer League supports the monthly grants given to local cancer patients and reimburses volunteer drivers who take local patients to their appointments in Truckee, Sacramento, Carson Valley, and Reno.

A visit with Santa Claus is challenging this year due to the pandemic, but Douglas County has been able to create a COVID-safe event with its partners.

Santa Claus and his elf Doug will be spreading some holiday cheer on December 21 in a Drive-Through Cookies and Cocoa with Santa event at the Douglas County Community and Senior Center.

Families are invited to drive through the Christmas Lane to enjoy music, crafts, hot cocoa and cookies, all from the safety of their vehicles. Letters for Santa will also be collected and socially distanced complimentary photos will be taken.

The Soroptimist International Club of South Lake Tahoe (SISLT) has helped make the holidays a bit brighter for the men and women served by Live Violence Free, the nonprofit committed to promoting a violence-free community.

Each year the SISLT club president chooses a "President's Project" to complete during their year of service. This year, Club President Louisa Boone decided her project would be to make Christmas Stockings for the 50 women and 10 men the agency serves. Stockings were filled with beanies, socks, teas, gift cards for the men, beauty supplies and jewelry for the ladies.

It was the first year the Lucky Beaver Bar and Burger at Stateline held a toy drive for the South Shore, and it was a big success with organizer Dreu Murin saying over $10,000 worth of toys donated to children in the community.

Christmas Cheer, the South Lake Tahoe nonprofit that helps feed locals in need all year was also in need of toys to help bring joy during such trying times. Tom Davis of Christmas Cheer joined up with Murin and other community members to organize the event which brought toys from far and wide to Lake Tahoe on December 6.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In an ever changing pandemic situation, Bread & Broth 4 Kids has adjusted their weekly food bag program for South Lake Tahoe school age youth.

Bags will be on the school buses (schedule below) on Wednesdays when school is in session (no delivery December 23 and 30). When school resumes to in person instruction, this schedule will adjust to fit the need and school schedules.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Due to the generosity and giving heart of the “Angel of Tahoe,” Mrs. Lisa Maloff and her love for children, presents were purchased for over 100 Tahoe children this season. Due to the pandemic, Tahoe Youth & Family Services (TYFS) was unable to hold a Christmas party as they have done for the past three years. Mrs. Maloff made a sizeable donation to TYFS with the request for the nonprofit agency to help make the holiday season extra special for local children, something needed more than ever due to these challenging times.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Coats for Kids is an annual Kiwanis Club of Lake Tahoe signature project. For the past three weeks members of the club have been busy purchasing coats and distributing them to students in need in our community.

The South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center is busy assisting our community during these incredibly difficult COVID-19 times. This Holiday Season many members of our community are struggling with basic necessities to survive. So many members of our community work in the service industry in jobs such as; servers, waiters, bussers, housekeepers, maintenance personnel etc. Those industries have been impacted dramatically, especially with the updated governmental restrictions on in-door dining in California.

Farwell 2020! We will always remember this year, but for most of us, we are also ready to kiss it goodbye with a swift kick to the curb. Our community, like all communities has been hard hit with lost income, closed businesses, stay at home orders, COVID and virtually learning at home. We have missed socializing, travelling, entertaining and being entertained, enjoying our extended family and cannot even see a friend’s smile behind their mask. We missed so much of 2020 and it has hurt, to be honest.

Sierra House Elementary School would like to thank Kiwanis of South Lake Tahoe for their generous donation of winter coats to many of our students through their Coats for Kids program.

What a great program and we are happy to be recipients of Kiwanis’ kindness!

Karin Holmes
Principal
Sierra House Elementary School

Over the past ten years, the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge has donated 50 Christmas food boxes annually to local families, delivering the boxes in recent years to the South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center for distribution to families in need.

These boxes contained a complete Christmas Ham dinner for a family of four, plus enough extra food to last for several additional meals. But, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year the Lodge was unable to hold its normal fundraisers and food collections to put the boxes together.

During the course of executing the 2020 Census, the El Dorado Community Foundation was tasked with increasing the census numbers in two distinct census tracks in South Lake Tahoe. These two tracks have historically reported the lowest response rate for the census over the last twenty years.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The volunteers at Bread & Broth packed bags of food for the community Monday, bags full of food for not only a Thanksgiving meal, but for meals through the week.

From 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on November 23, almost 200 people picked up bags for their families containing a turkey breast, yams, green beans, rolls, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sparkling apple cider, fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk and much more. Those bags of food went to feed 549 individuals in the South Lake Tahoe community.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif - It was a true community effort to get the Christmas Tree delivered to the Heavenly Village in South Lake Tahoe last week. For the third consecutive year, a tree was selected from the South Shore to be on display for the holiday season.

On Monday, November 16, 2020 the 64-foot tree was cut down by Kenny Curtzwiler of K & K Services at 6:30 a.m., lifted by a crane and placed onto a flatbed truck, escorted by South Lake Tahoe Police and CHP, driven to its destination, lifted off the truck and placed into a stand to be decorated.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Highway Patrol South Lake Tahoe office is joining in on the holiday spirit this season with the CHiPs for KIDS 2020 campaign. With a goal of helping to bring holiday cheer to local families in need they are holding a local toy drive with two drop off locations.

Bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Jim Bagan Toyota dealership or CHP South Lake Tahoe office from now until December 17. The toys will be given to South Shore children.

CHP South Lake Tahoe is located at 2063 Hopi Avenue and Jim Bagan Toyota is located at 1855 Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

Time is a unifier of sorts, isn’t it, even during a pandemic. It keeps marching on, month by month, day by day and minute by minute.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The local Cricket Wireless store wants to help those in need fill their Thanksgiving tables this season.

From now until November 21, local families can stop by the Cricket store at 3442 Lake Tahoe Boulevard and register for a free turkey or any other necessities needed for their Thanksgiving dinner.

Sign up during the following times:
Monday - Saturday: 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Sunday - 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The South Lake Tahoe Library is holding a parking lot/sidewalk book sale on Saturday, November 14th from 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tables will be set up with a great selection of books to choose from.

Prices are only $5 a bag and $1 per large, coffee table books. Great selection for fireside reading this winter.

For the health and safety of all, masks will be worn, entry will be monitored to one person (or family group) per table and hand sanitizer will be available. At check-out, correct change is appreciated.

With fundraising taking on a different look due to the pandemic, many nonprofits have taken to the internet for a way to help their groups raise much-needed funds.

The Soroptimist International Club of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) has one week left on their holiday catalog. The gift catalog is full of things for the holidays from gift wrapping to gifts and kitchenware

The Small Business Retention Workgroup, comprised of the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce, El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, El Dorado County Economic Development Department and various other entities formulated in March of this year to provide advocacy and strategies for the small business communities of El Dorado County.  The workgroup has met weekly as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our communities with awareness that the small businesses of our county are the backbone of our business community, employing neighbors and led by individuals wh

Join the South Tahoe High School Performing Arts Booster Association (PABA) on Monday, November 2, 2020 at their Chipotle fundraiser from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Chipotle is located at 3640-A Lake Tahoe Boulevard by Whole Foods.

Share the photo flyer on this story at the store (on cell phone is okay) or tell the cashier you are there to support PAPA.

Thirty-three percent of all sales to PABA supporters will go to their high school performing arts needs.

Join the South Tahoe High Lady Vikings on Wednesday, November 4 between 3:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. at Grand Central Pizza in South Lake Tahoe.

Fifteen percent of all sales during that time will go to the Goal Club, the team's nonprofit that helps with the program's team expenses.

Pizza With A Purpose will be at Grand Central, 2229 Lake Tahoe Blvd. The donations will be made on dine in, take out and delivery. Their phone number is 530.544.1308

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The local community has several different locations that offer food to those who find themselves needing extra groceries during not only the pandemic, but year-round.

The following is a list of locations at this time. All locations are in South Lake Tahoe unless otherwise noted:

Monday
Bread & Broth at St. Theresa Catholic Church Grace Hall foyer door
1041 Lyons Ave. 4:00- 5:30 p.m. A minimum of 4 bags of groceries (staples, fresh
produce, breads, and dairy (plus meat as available) will be provided. Families will receive additional bags.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With a change in the normal Halloween celebrations due to coronavirus, volunteers with the Lake Tahoe Historical Society have created a map to local homes decorated for the season. This is a great way to enjoy the holiday in a socially distanced manner.

LTHS has added the map to their website and will have printed copies at the museum starting October 20.

There are no specific address listed, just a pumpkin placed in the area of a home found to have a display for all to enjoy by walking, biking or driving by.