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Toy Drive under way in Toledo

The Toledo Food Bank is asking area residents to help support their annual Christmas Toy Drive to help brighten up the holidays for local families in need.

Toys and other gift items are needed for children between infancy and their teens and can be dropped off, unwrapped, at donation boxes at Toledo Market Fresh, the Toledo Community Library and Timberland Bank. Also needed are socks, pajamas, gloves, basic cosmetics and sports-related toys. Monetary donations may also be made to Timberland Bank into an account set up for the toy drive.

This is Barb Lewis and the book I'm reviewing today is "Breathing Room, Open Your Heart By Decluttering Your Home" by Lauren Rosenfeld, a spiritual intuitive and professional declutterer, and Dr. Melva Green, a board-certified psychiatrist, best known for her role on the hit tv show, Hoarders.

I will admit I read all I can about clutter. Yes, I'm the one who had over 100 cookie jars and a few hundred Raggedy Ann dolls. It made perfect sense to me at the time. I called it collecting but my family called it something else! I watch Hoarders. I've taken a clutter busting class put on by a professional who goes into homes to help declutter. That was fascinating, by the way! So many magazines have articles about clutter. I found out Amazon lists over 2,000 books that have clutter in the title. $20 billion a year is spent on self storage and there are over 50,000 self storage locations in the United States! Wow!

It's not too late to make plans to attend Ryderwood's Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Just so I don't give out misinformation, give Sharon (360-353-8745) a head's up if you haven't already signed up. I'm pretty sure there's no problem unless you're bringing a small army.

There won't be a dinner on Friday night at the Café and I don't have the menu for next week's Senior Nutrition. Whatever it is, it will be a real bargain at $3! Call me at (360) 295-3813 or (360) 355-7315 to make or break reservations.

Saturday, Nov. 29, is Small Business Saturday. Support your local merchants and services, skip the crowds, save time and gas, keep your holiday gift dollars close to home.

Tuesday and Wednesday New Life Assembly Food Bank offers bread for body and soul 10 a.m. - noon. Wednesday Night Thanksgiving Eve All Community Service 7 - 8 p.m. Dessert potluck follows. Visit www.toledo-new-life.com/events/ or call (360) 864-4366.

Thanks to everyone who was able to attend the memorial service for Jasper Henderling-Warner on Saturday. The tragedy of his death has impacted many of us, and those who spoke chose heartfelt, encouraging words to commemorate his life. As was stated multiple times during the service, domestic violence is not something that simply happens in a city across the way or to another family not your own, but can affect all of us, and we all need to report the abuses we see and offer support to the victims in our lives.

Despite reports of unavailability in last week's column, the Park Board has replenished their supply of Plush Pippen Pies earlier than expected and more are now available for purchase. A 12-inch pie is $6 while a 9-inch pie is $5, with multiple varieties such as apple, berry and pumpkin available to pick up as soon as you order. To place your order, or to check on availability, call Park Board Chair Steve Krohn at (360) 880-6281.

This is the week of Thanksgiving; we all have something to be thankful for. I am thankful for the wonderful community I live in, where we know people are here to help. Thank you to the individuals who donated items this past week to the school. I met with the Superintendent Shannon Criss and there are still many students still in need. Please continue to show your support to the students in Winlock.

The Lioness are busy this time of year with their Thanksgiving and Christmas Food Boxes and Gifts for Winlock children. Clothing is needed for all ages, toys for children 12 and under and toiletry items for teens. Add a little extra to the TAG on the tree at IGA, the toiletry item (age appropriate) please.

As Thanksgiving approaches we would like to say Thank You to those who give all year from their hearts.

We call Vader our home; a community where neighbors step up to help, volunteers arrive not knowing the size of the project and stay all day to complete it and donators who make our community beautiful and events outstanding (Wikes Nursery & 4th of July organizers & J&G/ Little Crane).

Toledo City Council Member Nate Cook has been awarded a Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) and has been described as the first Toledo official to do so.

Presented during the Nov. 17 meeting of the Toledo City Council, the certificate represents Cook's completion of at least 30 hours of classes offered by AWC, intended to help improve the way elected officials govern and lead.

Even the most ardent and loving fans of the Toledo Indians Football team had to be thinking that it is better to be lucky than good. With all of the post-season experience, even luck begets skill.

Such was the case with the Indians, who fumbled and stumbled, turned the ball over and were called for more penalties than a lot of felons, but still came up with a 21-14 WIAA quarter-final round victory over a bigger and scrappy team from North Beach.

The geography seems silly, but two Lewis County Schools that are 12 miles apart will meet in the Tacoma Dome this Friday at 4 p.m. in the WIAA State Football Championships Semi-Final. If you ask any of the players, they wouldn't have it any other way.

The two teams met earlier in the season with Napavine taking a 36-6 victory.

Local community members gathered Saturday to memorialize the life of Jasper Henderling-Warner, a 3-year-old boy who died Oct. 5 from injuries sustained during prolonged physical abuse while living with his guardians in Vader.

Held at the Vader Assembly of God Church, many residents said they felt particularly impacted by the loss of the child, though many had not known him personally, and gathered to call for an increased level of awareness and vigilance to combat the challenge of domestic violence.

A Vader man has been cited after allegedly falling asleep at the wheel and diving into a ditch on Thursday, according to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office.

The 47-year-old driver of a 2007 Dodge Caravan had been traveling on the 900 block of Winlock-Vader Rd. around 1:08 p.m. when he he fell asleep, causing his vehicle to veer off the roadway. A male passenger in the vehicle told deputies he had to yell at the driver to wake him back up during the collision.

Authorities are seeking help to solve a burglary taking place at a business in Glenoma earlier this year.

According to reports, sometime between Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, an unknown number of suspects forced entry into a business on the 9000 block of US Hwy. 12, in Glenoma, and stole cash, checks and a security camera recorder. The estimated loss is $21,000.

Friday is the deadline to apply for the Lewis County Sheriff's Office's Shop with a Cop program, open to area kids in 2nd to 12th grades.

Intended for families in financial need, the program is available to one child per family, though applications for multiple children in the same family may be submitted, and those who participated last year must wait until next year to apply again. The deadline to apply is Nov. 28 by 4 p.m., and families selected for the program will be notified by Dec. 5.

Local fire and EMS calls between Nov. 17 and 23.

Two sentences, four dismissals and two warrants were issued by Judge Steven Buzzard during Winlock Municipal Court on Thursday.