From left to right: Ann Garlatta, Gerilyn Mellin, Katie Lopez, Earlean Smith, Aurora Perez, Christi James, Cindy Llamas, and Tammy Marana. The Annual Holiday Dinner hosted by ‘From the Heart’ (FTH) was held on Saturday, November 9, at the Anza Community Hall. DJ Johnny Bones provided the ambiance. Hamilton School students served dinner, including ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, gravy, cranberry sauce, rolls, pie, and punch. After dinner, the FTH ladies made a major announcement: ‘From The Heart’ is retiring. “We made the difficult decision after discussing it at length, and after trying to figure out who could take the reins. It was not an easy decision to make, believe me,” stated Christi James, Director of FTH. She announced that the Lions Club of Anza Valley will take over the Holiday Dinners. The Lions Club will also be taking over the High School Scholarship Program for Seniors, the Computer Scholarship, as well as the Backpack Giveaway. What began as a bible study in 2004, quickly turned into a group dedicated to serving the needs of the community. Linda

Hart founded the group in memory and honor of her son. Hart led a group of women with a spirit of service. Throughout the years, the group grew, along with the town's needs. Some of the ladies in FTH have served for almost two decades. “There are roughly 1,000 [children] a year that we help, and we’ve been doing this for 19 years. It has gotten to be more over the past 6 years. We also help families with propane, electric bills, or heaters during winter. We help families who have a child in the hospital with gas cards, as well as other emergencies,” stated James, when reminiscing about the work of FTH. This year, over one hundred children benefited from the turnout of the last Holiday Dinner alone. The members of FTH are Tammy Marana, Aurora Perez, Gerilyn Mellin, Cindy Llamas, Earlean Smith, Vicki Lemke, and Christi James. A few members who have passed away or moved who were part of the group for several years, mother and two daughters, Marilyn Smith (passed), Wandakaye Crawford, and Deborah Mize. The last

‘Christmas Kids Event’ provided by FTH will be held on Thursday, December 19, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm, at the Lutheran Church in Anza. Randy Parker from Mr. Happy’s Mercantile will take over for emergencies such as clothing needs and food contact. “Please consider donating to either of these as they will be providing an amazing service to all in our town,” James said. “Thank you all for giving us the opportunity to serve! Thank you all for your patience, kindness, and love throughout the years. Our hearts are with you all, now and always,” James expressed. “One thing that I truly feel needs to be said, is please take care of each other. Love one another. Be good to one another. Put yourself in others’ shoes before judging. There is a huge opportunity to always be the bigger person,” James concluded. For those who would like to make financial donations for the final Christmas Kids Event, they can be delivered to Mr. Happy’s at 57475 CA-371 in Anza or mailed to ‘From the Heart’, PO Box 391224, Anza, CA 92539.