Pec Lions serve this holiday season

SUBMITTED PHOTO The Gazette
Lions Ida Bolen, Carol Ingram, John Moyer, Jean Mennenga, Marci Nestler and Jazma Brown filling the 260 bags which Santa presented to the children dur-ing the Christmas Walk on Dec. 7.

As always, this holiday season has been a busy one for the Pec Lions as they continue to honor the Lions motto, WE SERVE.

On Sunday, Nov. 17, several Lion and Leo Club members met to bake cookies for the upcoming Cheer bags. Many cookies were baked and decorated for this much-anticipated event.

On Sunday, Nov. 24, eight Lion members prepared and served a full hot dinner to approximately 200 guests and residents who stop by the Rockford Rescue Mission. Our club provides two of these meals each year.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, Santa and Mrs. Claus along with Lion helpers provided 260 gift bags for the children that stopped by the US Bank to see Santa. For many years the Lions club has invited Santa to meet with the children of the community and provides a gift bag of activity items and snacks. The America Legion Post 197 provided toys for all the children. They have increased the count of bags every year and the numbers still continue to grow. Everyone enjoys Santa! The event is now part of the Small Town, Bright Christmas events that started in 2017.

The following week, the Lions packed and delivered over 100 “Cheer Bags” to friends in the community who may need just a little bit of cheer this holiday season. They were filled with cookies, fruit, calendars, pens, candy and snack mix, all donated by the Lions.

On Dec. 15, Lions members decided to take some time for themselves and enjoyed a Christmas lunch complete with some challenging games. After a few weeks of rest, it will be back to planning their next events for 2020.

Anyone interested in hearing more about the local Lions club, please contact Cindy Klinger, 815-247-8479, membership chair, or any Lions member. New members and volunteers are always welcome.