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Family shelter needs towels, bedclothes

By LINDA COLE and INGRID KOHLER
Published September 2, 2006

Suddenly it's Labor Day, and we're all wondering where the summer disappeared. Although this holiday has traditionally marked summer's end, we Floridians aren't falling for that pitch. Schools have been humming for weeks, and as for the heat - any real break in it lies pretty far in the future.

Our first letter this holiday weekend combines a thank you and a request. Janet McGuire, community relations coordinator for the Salvation Army St. Petersburg Area Command, wrote several months ago to request baby furniture and other items to furnish family units in the organization's homeless shelter.

REX readers came through like the champions they are. Janet writes, "In just 10 days we had everything we needed for these family units because of the generosity of your readers. It was so wonderful to see the faces of the children that had beds of their own, highchairs and strollers. . . .

"As our shelter population grows, we find that we are in need of other items: pillows, pillow cases, single bed linens, blankets, towels and washcloths. We also need 20 five-drawer dressers or chests of drawers.

"Thank you again for being such a great source to help those less fortunate in our community."

In 2000, Kim of St. Petersburg bought a 220-volt sewing machine in Italy; it was used for only about a year. If you are moving overseas and need a sewing machine without a converter, please call her at (727) 415-5339.

Mrs. C. Santora of Sun City Center is offering a Minolta X-370 camera with all the fixings: tripods, electronic flash, close-up lenses, extension lenses, cleaner and case, plus camera carry-all bag. Mrs. Santora used to take photos for lectures so, while the equipment is not up-to-date, it produces first-rate results.

Also up for grabs, many nature and art slides Mrs. Santora used in performances. Please call (813) 634-7672.

The staff can never guess what new interest our longtime REXer Lucie Somers of Dunedin will come up with next, but this time it's cookbooks. Lucie will heartily welcome any Paula Deen cookbooks into her kitchen. Just drop her a line at Lot 219, 1415 Main St., Dunedin, FL 34698-6221.

Naomi May e-mails this heads-up: "I am sure there will be lots of people looking for the Wal-Mart Mainstays yarn, now that they aren't stocking it anymore." We hope this change doesn't affect your knitting plans, but it does Naomi's. She has started Christmas gifts for her granddaughters that can't be finished until she locates at least one skein each of Mainstays Pale Pink, Pale Blue and Soft Yellow. If you have any of these yarns that you can spare, please e-mail nrmay@webtv.net and help Naomi salvage her projects.

Needed: help for a beginning weaver. Rus Cooper-Dowda taught herself to weave three years ago, but she is at the point where she needs help from a more experienced weaver. She would like to learn to use a floor loom but can't afford one.

In exchange for weaving lessons and/or a working floor loom, Rus will trade these antiques: a spinning wheel, an inkle loom and a large rectangular loom that made the trek to Utah with Latter-day Saints in the 19th century. Contact Rus at (727) 743-1569.

Diane Stoffel of Largo has back problems that her doctor thinks could be helped by sleeping on a futon, so she is looking for one in good condition. Diane also is limited in the activities she can attempt, but she really enjoys working jigsaw puzzles. A card table on which she can spread them would also be most welcome. Please call (727) 399-0186.

Need buttons? Louise Soper is giving away eight quart jars full of assorted buttons to anyone who will pick them up. Please call (727) 372-7162.

Pamela of Clearwater is putting a Mitsubishi console TV up for adoption. The sound and visuals are perfect, the cabinet lovely and, in short, it's just too good to throw away. You'll have to pick it up, but it's on wheels, so you can roll it on out. Please call (727) 797-1961.

Elizabeth Dugan of Dunedin has an autumn 1992 Sunbonnet Craft magazine you may enjoy. Please call (727) 736-9279.

Send requests to Reader Exchange, Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg 33731 or e-mail cole@sptimes.com Requests will be accepted only by mail or e-mail. This is an exchange column; we will not run items that are for sale. Readers must agree to publication of phone numbers, including area code. ON THE WEB: An interactive version of Reader Exchange is available at itsyourtimes.com.

[Last modified August 31, 2006, 10:25:12]