SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – There are two events on Saturday, April 23 in South Lake Tahoe that will help local children in need: Bread & Broth 4 Kids Cram-A-Cruiser and Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra is staging a backpack and luggage drive.

Cram-A-Cruiser

St. Theresa’s Bread and Broth 4 Kids is holding Cram-a-Cruiser on Saturday, April 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in front of Grocery Outlet.

Bread & Broth 4 Kids is asking the local community for help in filling a South Lake Tahoe Police cruiser full of food for its weekend food program. Each week, food-insecure students from Lake Tahoe Unified School District get a bag of food for the weekend when school breakfast and lunch programs are not available. Bread & Broth 4 Kids also provides weekly food during the summer.

Please stop by Cram-a-Cruiser with a cash donation or help us fill up the cruiser with non-perishable food from their wish list: canned soup, canned ravioli, canned spaghetti, small cans of tuna and chicken, beef jerky, small cups of instant Mac & Cheese, packets of instant oatmeal, granola bars, fruit cups, small boxes of raisins(1 oz), nuts, crackers with cheese, peanut butter. All in single servings please – peanut butter and jelly in plastic containers. Cereal is okay too as those boxes go home on holiday weekends.

Bread & Broth has a focus on more protein and cutting down items with sodium. Please, no Top Ramen or Cup of Noodles.

Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra holding backpack and luggage drive

The Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra is staging a backpack and luggage drive on April 23 in the parking lot of TJ Maxx in South Lake Tahoe from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They are seeking donations of new or gently used backpacks, duffle bags, and suitcases.

South Lake Tahoe has more than 250 youth in transition due to life’s circumstances. These include foster children, transitional age youth who may be homeless, and ‘couch surfers’. These disconnected youth living in the community are without permanent homes. They frequently carry their limited belongings from place to place in plastic garbage bags.

To help these youth bring some order to their lives, the Kiwanians are holding the backpack and luggage drive. They are collaborating with local children and youth organizations in the community. The donations received will be given to local agencies working with children and youth.

Usable camping equipment will also be collected.

Agencies served include Tahoe Youth and Family Services, Sierra Child and Family Services, and CASA.

Representatives from the various agencies will be on hand to answer your questions. Please check your closet for unneeded suitcases, duffle bags, and backpacks. Drive by and drop them off. Look for the big white tent and the Kiwanis Club of Tahoe Sierra banner.