Reader Exchange: Santa's helpers have many opportunities to spread joy

By LINDA D. COLE and INGRID L. KOHLER
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 23, 2002

Since we can't promise you any bona fide snow flurries, will you settle for a few flurries of Christmas inquiries? Good. Readers will remember that at this time each year, the column is snowed under by holiday requests; many folks probably are rolling up their sleeves already, eager to help with projects they read about here.

Jane Ridings, president of High Noon Optimist Club of St. Petersburg, tells us about a fine Christmas activity the club works on each year. With advice from a nonprofit organization that assists needy families by providing a mentor, a place to live and educational opportunities, the High Noon Optimists adopt a family for Christmas.

The family, two children and their mother, has been selected, and the club members have asked for and received wish lists. Filling the modest requests will be a joyful endeavor as these folks spread the Christmas spirit, and we may be able to help with the fun.

Jane writes that the members could use a bit of help with the mom's list. On her brief list, this busy woman, who has plans to enter school soon, included a blender and a waffle iron. As Jane points out, these appliances get shunted to the backs of our cabinets and are used infrequently. If that has occurred in your kitchen and you would like to donate to this family, please call Jane at (727) 398-7369.

To continue the holiday theme, Cheri Frady, who teaches a fourth- and fifth-grade special education class at St. Petersburg's Perkins Elementary, offers a thoughtful seasonal suggestion.

She recalls that when her children were young, just before Christmas she would make room for the new games and videos Santa would be bringing by gathering up the old ones they had tired of. She would then pass them along to children for whom they were new.

Cheri's students need some games, such as connect four, checkers, Scrabble, etc., and Disney videos, and this may be an ideal way for you to make room for your children's new gifts and help Cheri's students at the same time.

The games need to be in good condition, but they needn't be perfect. Pieces may even be missing. Right now the students are playing connect four with a game that has no sides and is missing half its checkers, so it won't take a lot to beat that. Call Cheri at (727) 893-2117, ext. 140, or by e-mail at Cheri_Frady@places.pinellas.k12.fl.us.

Elaine Cloutier needs a lot of used CDs for a New Year's decoration project she has in mind for a recreation hall. Because she needs so many, she won't be able to pick up one or two at a time. We're talking volume here, folks.

Do you perhaps have some ideas about where Elaine can secure large numbers of CDs? This is a pretty large hall, and she is starting to have visions of having to save CDs for years to pull off her plan.

If you can help, please call Elaine at (727) 797-4172 or e-mail ecloutier@aol.com.

Now let's turn to a few requests that, though they lack the urgency of holiday delivery, are just as vital to the folks asking.

Earl Bonney of Largo, whom we wish to thank for assisting another reader who needed information about crafting with shells, writes about a delicious dessert his mother used to make called biscuit tortoni. It was made with some kind of custard and had a macaroon topping. Earl has a yen to enjoy it again, but he doesn't have a recipe. Do you? He hopes you'll share it with him.

And while you're flipping through your files, do you have a recipe for a good Italian spaghetti sauce, preferably with meatballs, sausage or stuffed skirt steak? Please send the recipes for the tortoni and/or the sauce to Earl's e-mail address: Megby1@aol.com.

Last year a big stir was generated in this column over pasta makers. Since then, all had been quiet on the pasta maker front until this request came from Joy Jensen. Her mom wants one for her birthday but not for making pasta. As the staff learned last year, these gizmos have many uses, and Joy's mom intends to use hers for her clay beads.

Unfortunately, Joy hasn't been able to locate a pasta maker. Then she remembered how we were in such a noodle about them, and she decided to ask whether any pasta makers are left over after last year's flurry. Please contact (727) 398-4786 if there are.

To balance these requests, here are a few giveaways that may interest you.

A.E. Gonda of Spring Hill wants to recycle a box of buttons and/or two glass containers of assorted shells to anyone willing to pick them up. Please call (352) 683-9011.

D. Rowe has lots of baby food jars she would like to pass along to an individual or organization able to use them. Please call (727) 344-1772 to arrange a time to pick them up.

If you and your cat can use approximately 100 plastic cat litter bags that fit a large Booda Box kind of cat box, please call Marlette Julien at (727) 577-3783.

-- Send requests to Reader Exchange, Newsfeatures, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg 33731 or e-mail cole@sptimes.com. Only questions of general interest will be answered. Requests will be accepted only by mail or e-mail; no phoned requests, please. This is an exchange column, so we will not run items that are for sale. Readers must agree to publication of phone numbers (please include the area code).

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