Page 14 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • December 25, 2013 Allendale Notebook Dance for the USO The Allendale Woman’s Club will host dance to benefit the United Service Organizations and the AWC on Jan. 18. The event will be held from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. in the audi- torium at Guardian Angel Church located at 320 Franklin Turnpike in Allendale. Entertainment will be provided by The Fever and a DJ. Light fare will be served. This is a bring your own bever- age event. Tickets are $35 per person when purchased in advance. Tickets purchased at the door will cost $40. To purchase tickets, mail a check payable to the Allendale Woman’s Club to P.O. Box 284, Allendale NJ 07401. An e-mail or home address should be included to receive a reservation confirmation. The USO is a nonprofit organization that provides pro- grams, services, and live entertainment to United States troops and their families. Since 1941, entertainers from Bob Hope to Zac Brown have performed camp shows for the troops. The USO’s motto is: “Wherever and whenever they go, the USO will be there, until every one comes home.” The club is also seeking donations for care packages. Those who attend the benefit dance are asked to bring a nonperishable item to be sent to the troops. Donations of shampoo, lip balm, soap, phone cards, etc. are being col- lected. For more information, e-mail awcbandnight@gmail. com or visit allendalewomansclub.org. Highlands announces Christmas events Highlands Presbyterian Church in Allendale will be celebrating the Advent season with several special events. The church, located at 270 Franklin Turnpike in Allendale, invites members of the community to participate. The annual Christmas Pageant will be held on Sunday, Dec. 22 during the 10 a.m. worship service. This year, the pageant will be performed without rehearsals and is open to all who wish to participate. There will even be placement for those who show up on Dec. 22. The church will hold two Christmas Eve services on Dec. 24. The Children’s Service will be celebrated at 4:30 p.m. and a Candlelight Service will be held at 8 p.m. The 8 p.m. service will be preceded by a musical celebration starting at 7:15 p.m. For more information, call (201) 327-4466 or visit http:// www.highlandschurch.net. Anniversary to begin with Square Dance Guardian Angel Church will host a Square Dance on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the church audito- rium at 320 Franklin Turnpike. The hoedown is part of the church’s year-long 60th Anniversary Celebration. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for seniors and stu- dents in grades seven through 12. Snacks and beverages are included. To purchase tickets, call (201) 825-2972 or e-mail bkonvit@gmail.com. Chamber plans meeting The Allendale Chamber of Commerce will host a Holi- day Party for members on Jan. 9. To RSVP, contact Adri- enne Tenbekjian at (201) 327-8411. Corps holds Fund Drive The Allendale Ambulance Corps has announced that its annual Fund Drive is now under way. The corps reminds Allendale residents and business that the volunteer squad relies on the support of the community to provide ambu- lance service for citizens 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to the emergency service, the corps maintains and enhances the skills of the borough’s EMTs, provides community education, participates in civic events, recruits and trains new volunteer members, and assists area towns during emergencies. Donations, which are tax deductible, may be sent to Allendale Ambulance Corps, Inc., 26 Arcadia Road, Allen- dale New Jersey 07401. For more information, visit www. allendaleambulance.org. In 2014, the corps has plans to expand its community education program to include training on basic hands-only CPR and how to use an AED (automated external defibril- lator). These skills can save a life. Earlier this year, AVAC offered “Family and Friends” CPR classes at the Lee Memorial Library. There was no cost for these classes, which were taught by AVAC EMT volunteers. For more information about upcoming classes, e-mail cprtraining@allendaleambulance.org. Economic gap (continued from page 9) group creates special meals, which are requested by staff at soup kitchens in Newark, Harlem, and the Bronx. Parish- ioners choose what they will donate from the tags on the Sharing Board in the quantities needed, including turkeys and hams and all the trimmings for these special meals. At Christmas, parishioners donate warm hats, gloves, and socks for the homeless at each soup kitchen. The chil- dren of the parish pack candy and decorate cookies and make up to 200 gift packs for each soup kitchen. The gifts and food are delivered on Christmas Eve and parishioners go and serve meals on Christmas morning. Presentation has a food pantry stocked year round with essential food needs. “More and more families are coming to Presentation to supplement their basic food needs; many are members of this parish,” Father Bob commented. A parishioner who owns a local restaurant donates trays of eggplant parmesan, chicken francaise, and penne, which are given to the unemployed all year. “He restocks these whenever they run out, which happens more frequently these days,” Rightmyer noted. Others donate tickets to shows, sporting events, and other opportunities for an enjoyable relief from their day-to-day struggles. “All of these activities at Presentation are the natural call to the human family to face the ‘scandal of hunger in our world,’ as Pope Francis has articulated,” said Father Bob. In his comments on Dec. 10, 2013, launching the cam- paign “One Human Family, Food for All” organized by Caritas International, the Vatican-based federation of Cath- olic charities, Pope Francis said, it’s time to “stop thinking that our daily actions do not have an impact on the lives of those who suffer from hunger firsthand.” He said, “There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but only if there is the will to respect the God-given rights of everyone to have access to adequate food.” A global “wave of prayer” began at noon on the South Pacific island of Samoa and headed west across the world’s time zones. Church of the Presentation is located at 271 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. Phone (201) 327-1313 for additional information.