Marina Mondragon, founder of Wings of Kindness, continues to bring kindness to Anaheim, this time with the group’s third annual toy drive and giveaway on Dec. 19.
Everyone is invited to come out for the event and enjoy the evening, meet your neighbors and share the holiday spirit. The event will be collecting donations through the day on Dec. 19 and the community giveaway will be 5 to 7 p.m. at Mondragon Family Market. They are collecting unwrapped toys for children of all ages, gift cards for teens, grocery gift cards for families in need, blankets, socks and more.
Visit @wingsofkindness on Instagram for more information or call 714-309-8607.
Anaheim First Presbyterian has worship plans
The community is invited to celebrate the Christmas season at Anaheim First Presbyterian Church.
On Sunday, Dec. 21, worship will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a bilingual celebration of Las Posadas. On Wednesday, Dec. 24, at 9 p.m., a Christmas Eve service is scheduled with traditional carols and choral music.
On Sunday, Dec. 28, at 10:30 a.m., there will be a service that includes a Christmas carol sing-along and a retelling of the Christmas story a la Dr. Seuss.
Anaheim First Presbyterian is at 310 W. Broadway and is an open and affirming congregation. All are welcome. For more information, contact Kim Skilling at kskilling@sbcglobal.net.
Shop books at the Central Library to support the Friends’ efforts
You may find some great gifts for this holiday season at the upcoming Friends of the Anaheim Public Library book sale.
The sale is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 19 at Central Library, 500 W. Broadway. You’ll find the selection of books and other items for sale in the basement.
In addition to books there will be jewelry, curios, knick-knacks, puzzles and more. Don’t miss the sale!
Many of the programs and events at the libraries are available through the generous support of the APL Foundation.
Central Library plans last-minute holiday fun
On Dec. 20, from 2 to 4:30 p.m., everyone is invited to the Central Library for Afternoon at the Movies, where movie guy Theo Siegel will talk about and then screen the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
On Dec. 22, at 4 p.m., children and families are invited to make glue and paint stick ornaments.
Call 714-765-1880 for more information.
Anaheim Police Department offers PACE program
The Anaheim Police Department is currently seeking participants and is now accepting applications for its upcoming Public Awareness Through Citizen Education, or P.A.C.E., class.
Students meet on Tuesday nights for a total of 14 weeks. Classes normally begin at 6 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. and meet at the Anaheim Police Department main headquarters.
This is a serious time commitment of 14 weeks.
The next session begins in February. For more information, visit anaheim.net.
Incentives and help for Anaheim residents to conserve and save
There are water and utility incentive programs available to help Anaheim residents save.
Conserving water is a great way to lower your expenses each month. There are water-saving improvements available for you.
Call 888-376-3314 or visit Anaheim.net/rebates for more information.
Available rebates and programs include access to weather-based irrigation controllers, soil moisture sensor systems, rotating nozzles for pop-up spray heads, rain barrels and more.
And, Anaheim Public Utilities offers a wide variety of energy efficiency programs designed to help lower utility costs. For more information, call 714-765-4250 or visit Anaheim.net/Energyrebates.
Programs include dusk-to-dawn lighting, EV charger rebates, home utility check-ups, A/C tune-ups and more.
Free mulch and compost available
Compost and mulch are available to local residents through OC Waste & Recycling.
Supplies can be picked up from the Bee Canyon Greenery at the Frank R. Bowerman Landfill in Irvine, the Capistrano Greenery at the Prima Deschecha Landfill in San Juan Capistrano and the Valencia Greenery at Olinda Alpha Landfill in Brea. Make an appointment at OCLandfills.com/compost to pick some up.
Plan to take a shovel and containers that you can fill on your own.
Enter a science fair
The Orange County Science Fair hosts an annual science and engineering fair for local school children.
Registration is now open for its 71st annual fair coming up in 2026. This is a great activity for all children and youth groups.
For more information, visit tocsef.org or contact Robin Van Vohris at president@ocsef.org.
Andrea Manes shares with her neighbors events and news about the Anaheim community. If you have an event to share, contact her at andreadeemanes@gmail.com or 714-815-3885.