Halfway through the month-long Kindness Care-A-Van toy drive, more than 500 toys already have been donated for children in the Gulf Coast affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This weekend the Kindness Care-A-Van will continue at the Mighty Ducks game on October 23.  Toys will be collected between 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim before the Mighty Ducks game against the Phoenix Coyotes.  The first 500 guests who bring a toy to the Kindness Care-A-Van booth will receive a voucher for two (2) tickets to the October 26th game against Calgary.  Toys should be new, unwrapped and valued at $5 or more.

In addition to organizing the Kindness Care-A-Van, the City of Anaheim has sent firefighters and other staff to the Gulf Coast and contributed more than $27,000 to help victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, 11 Anaheim firefighters from California Task Force-5 traveled cross-country to assist with relief efforts.  This month, Chris Lee from the Building Division traveled to Louisiana to join a team of 24 volunteers who are conducting safety assessments on 55,000 structures.   Anaheim City employees donated $17,219 through a vacation buyback program and an additional $10,000 was raised at the 14th Annual Transportation Faire/Chili Cook-Off sponsored by Anaheim’s Public Works Department in September. 

For more information on how to donate to Anaheim’s Kindness Care-A-Van, call (714) 765-HOPE or visit www.anaheim.net.