Cheyenne-area residents have two chances to give non-perishable food to local food pantries on two consecutive days next week.

First comes the third annual Cheyenne Day of Giving on Friday, May 9 at the Cheyenne-Kiwanis Community House. That event is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (For more information, click on “To give something” at right.)

The next day, Saturday, May 10, the letter carriers will participate in their 16th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. The letter carriers will collect non-perishable food, such as canned soup and vegetables, pasta, rice and cereal that is placed next to residents’ mailboxes before the time of regular Saturday mail delivery.

All local donations will stay in the Cheyenne area, and based on information coming in to the Tribune-Eagle, area food pantries are again very low on food supplies, so they desperately need your help.

Won’t you consider participating in one or both of these local food drives? Many local people are having trouble getting by on their current incomes because of the rising cost of gasoline, food, etc. If you can give a little, it will help a lot.

For more on the letter carriers drive, click on “To give something” at right.

Although it has been a long week, there’s always enough time to be grateful for all I have been given and to pause to let you know of two more unique ways to give your money to those less fortunate.

And a good part about each of these opportunities is they involve one of my favorite things — food.

This Sunday afternoon, from 1-3, at the Cheyenne-Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park, the Wyoming Libraries Relay for Life team will hold a free tea and silent auction. In addition to tea, there will be cookies, scones and other desserts. Donations will be accepted, and all money goes to the American Cancer Society.

Then, next Wednesday night, from 5-10, Baskin-Robbins stores nationwide — including the one on East Lincolnway — will host its second annual 31 Cent Scoop Night. A 2.5-ounce scoop of ice cream costs just 31 cents, and the national chain will donate $100,000 to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

So put these dates on your calendar, get some coins together and whet your appetite. To learn more, click on “To give your money” at right.

Laramie County Community College raised almost $3,500 last weekend during its first Relay For Life event for the American Cancer Society.

The money will be used for cancer research, education, advocacy and patient service programs.

Approximately 150 people participated in this year’s 17-hour relay at LCCC, one of the first college events of this kind in the state.

This is the third Relay For Life event in Laramie County. Others are held in Pine Bluffs and at Okie Blanchard Stadium at Cheyenne’s East High.

Congratulations to all of the volunteers, participants and sponsoring businesses who helped make this planned annual event such a success!

There aren’t many places where you can get breakfast for the whole family for just $5 and help a good cause at the same time. But that opportunity arrives at the Cheyenne Family YMCA this Saturday.

Raising Readers in Wyoming is hosting its first “Bookfest and Feast” from 8 to 11 a.m. In addition to a full breakfast, the event includes a raffle, games, art activities, face painting, reading, door prizes and parent resource tables. There also will be a silent auction, with items that include an electric guitar, iPod, digital camera, UW basketball tickets, gift certificates and more.

Several community businesses and media partners are sponsoring the event, including the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.

Raising Readers in Wyoming encourages parents to read to their young children by providing new books as part of their well-child health visits.

For more on this event, click on “To give your money” at right.

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself when writing a headline for this blog entry. It’s been a long week …

But seriously, the success of Special Friends’ Million-Dollar Duck Derby has grown every year. That doesn’t mean you can kick back and let someone else do the work, however.

The derby itself is at Sloans Lake in Lions Park during Superday on June 28, but a kickoff will be held next Saturday, April 26, to get the fund drive started. You can adopt one or several plastic ducks and try to win prizes ranging from a Nintendo Wii video game console to a $2,500 travel package. You could even win $1 million!

Special Friends of Cheyenne counts on donations to this and other fundraisers each year to fund its efforts to match adult mentors with children from low-income, single-parent families. The goal is to strengthen the bond between adults and youth and to provide opportunities for positive community involvement, according to a statement from the group.

I may not have time to volunteer to be a Special Friend (or to write less cheeky blog headlines), but I hope others in the community will step up and do what they can — either by giving their time to these at-risk children or by donating to this fundraiser.

For more on the Million-Dollar Duck Derby kickoff event at Frontier Mall, click on “To give your money” at right. And to learn about becoming a Special Friends mentor, call 637-6480.

Zelda Gavins needs your help.

This Cheyenne woman learned in January that she has lung cancer, and she undergoes five-hour chemotherapy treatments monthly. Of course, the treatment costs are high, so she can use the financial help. But lest you think Zelda is thinking about only herself through this ordeal, there’s something else you need to know.

Zelda’s daughter Lakisha got a scholarship to go to a nursing school in Michigan. Lakisha’s mom is sick, but Zelda insisted that Lakisha go to school. To make that happen, Zelda is going to raise her 7-year-old grandson for the next three years so her daughter can focus on her education.

Many of you might recognize or know Zelda. She works in the barber shop at the Trails End Club on F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and she used to work at the barber shop near the BX. Her infectious smile and positive attitude have brought joy to customers for years on the base.

A special lunch, silent auction and raffle will be held from noon to 3 p.m. this Saturday at the Moose Lodge, 1019 S. Greeley Highway. For more information, click on “To give your money” at right.

Let’s come together and help Zelda battle her cancer and make sure her daughter can get a good education!

I’ll be the first to admit that I knew nothing about the LifeChoice Pregnancy Care Center when I got their announcement of Saturday’s Walk-A-Thon.

But after calling and getting a copy of their brochure, as well as being assured it is a nonprofit group, I decided to include this weekend’s event in “Everyone gives, Everyone gains.”

The nonprofit organization’s mission statement is: “We desire to help women and families in unintended pregnancies to understand and work through their options with factual information, material assistance, peer counseling, moral support and spiritual encouragement.”

Rather than worrying about whether you’re pro-choice or pro-life, I think it’s more important to celebrate the fact that a resource center like this exists in our community.

For more information about Saturday’s walk, click on “To give your money” at right.

If ever there was a project tailor-made to be part of the “Everyone gives, Everyone gains” project, it’s the third annual Day of Giving. This year’s event is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 9.

Chairwoman Greta Morrow stopped by last week to meet with me and reporter Baylie Davis, who filed this story on the project: http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/04/11/local_news_updates/18local_04-11-08.txt

This event has been strong from the beginning, but it has grown from around 20 religious organizations working together with other community groups to nearly 60 so far this year. With 106 congregations in town, that’s quite an accomplishment!

The focus of the event is helping the sick and economically disadvantaged in Cheyenne, and as Morrow says of religious organizations, “No matter what we believe, we have core values in common. One of those core values is helping our fellow man.”

I’m incredibly pleased and proud to say that the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle is a sponsor of the Day of Giving this year. We’ll be spotlighting some people who have benefited and those who would benefit from the good work you can do on this special day in the coming weeks leading up to the event.

In the meantime, mark your calendar for May 9, and to find out more about the five ways in which you can give, click on “To give your time,” “To give something” or “To give your money” at right.

Race for the Cure, Art for the Cure and Bowl for the Cure all work to help the Susan G. Komen Foundation fund research into the prevention of breast cancer.

Now comes the annual Celebrate Pink! Luncheon and Style Show, which raises money to provide small grants to local women who are undergoing breast cancer treatment for their personal needs.

The luncheon is next Saturday at Little America. Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch begins at 11:45 a.m. Speakers include Dr. Jeffrey Carleton, who will talk about the latest equipment for radition treatment, and Del Lummis, who will present a husband’s view of surviving breast cancer.

For more details on this event, click on “To give your money” at right.

The date has been set, and the work is about to begin!

Groundbreaking for the Cranmore project has been set for 10 a.m. Monday, April 14 at Cranmore family home, 3529 Fillmore Ave. in Cheyenne.

Community Care Concepts was formed to assist families in the community that are facing financial and/or medical hardships and are in need of home repairs to improve their quality of daily living.

The first project family, the Cranmores, was announced in January. This young family bought their home nine years ago as a fixer-upper. In 2000, Todd Cranmore was diagnosed with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 26, four days after their youngest son was born.

Todd is on full disability and able to walk short distances with the assistance of a cane. Todd will – likely sooner than later – be confined to a wheelchair full time. Shannon currently works for the state of Wyoming, and also has two part-time jobs in order to provide for the family.

Recently the Cheyenne City Council approved annexation into the city, along with a low-interest loan for the Cranmores. This was required to get the Cranmores connected to city sewer and water. Community Care Concepts can now begin the actual project.

On April 14, Mechanical Systems, which has donated its time and labor, will begin the hook-up process. The next step is to build a 17-foot by 43-foot addition, changing the current floor plan to make the house handicap accessible. There also are plans to provide new insulation, windows, sheetrock, wiring and plumbing throughout the house.

Donations are still needed, as well as volunteers to help with construction. For more information, visit “To give your time” and “To give your money” on the right side of this page.