The Alpine Sun: San Diego Neighborhood Newspapers

Local bag drive moves ‘fore’ward

By Chris Mac Kenzie
The Alpine Sun

     ALPINE — When the first drives fly off the tees in the shotgun start in Drive for the Drive at noon on Oct. 13 at Riverwalk Golf Course in Mission Valley, they’ll carry the promise of funding for the 2005 Thanksgiving Gift Bag Drive. This annual project, now in its ninth year, was born in Alpine, expanded to other East County communities, and results in hundreds of bags of groceries, clothing, new toys, diapers, even teddy bears for needy families.
     Drive for the Drive is organized by the East San Diego County Association of Realtors with Alpine Realtor Jeff Campbell as tournament chair, and El Cajon Realtor Daryl Handley as tournament director.
     Both men are ardent golfers so, as Handley reported, “This year, when we needed something to get people excited about the November drive, we thought of a golf tournament. It can help to generate the money that we donate to places like the Polinsky Center and the YMCA Battered Women’s and Children’s Center.”

Lindamarie Peterson/The Alpine Sun
Jeff Campbell, of Alpine, is ready for the fund-raising golf tournament that will help support the Thanksgiving Bag Drive he originated here.

     The $175 player fee provides some of these funds, augmented with the backing of merchants, corporate entities, and organizations. Alpine sponsors include: Café Adesso, the Wild West Athletic Club, Alpine Bread Basket, Alpine Equipment Rentals, The Alpine Sun, Century 21 Real Estate, Edward Jones Investment, Prudential Realty, Gym Trix, Williams Jewelers, Alpine Women’s Club, Alpine Chamber of Commerce, and Joan McQueen Middle School.
     “ We have a limit of 144 players, both men and women,” said Handley. “Check-in begins at 10 a.m. Everyone will be given a box lunch before the noon start. The fee includes a tee bag, golf cart, lunch, buffet dinner, lots of raffle prizes, and of course the awards. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
     Come November, hundreds of volunteers will be passing out grocery style paper bags for people to fill with non-perishable groceries, new toys and clothes.
     In 2004, 1,100 were filled to overflowing to be packed into 55 gallon bags and cases ready for distribution by five Alpine churches, Kiwanis Club, Alpine Community Center and school nurses.
Last year, after the Cedar Fire devastation, the Thanksgiving Gift Bag Drive delivered food, toiletries, toys and over $1,000 in cash and grocery store cards to victims in Julian, Puetz Valley, Crest and Harbison Canyon relief sites. The Kiwanis Club sent 150 of the 55-gallon bags filled with food for Harbison Canyon families.
     Campbell said later that he was very touched and impressed by the fact that cities from around United States sent aid after the fires to East San Diego County.
     “Now it’s our turn,” he said. “Florida and the Gulf Coast have suffered six weeks of hurricane devastation so we have set a goal of sending 300 cases of food to the Gulf Coast. It’ll be our way of giving back to say thank you to those who helped us. This kind of public giving, as opposed to the donations many of us make privately, can be empowering giving so that people can see how easy and important it is to help others.”

Learn more about the bag drive and golf tournament at www.thanksgivinggiftbagdrive.com.

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