Out and About is your guide to upcoming events in and around the Riverbank area.
Just a couple of days remain to help local families in need. Save Mart and FoodMaxx stores are wrapping up the annual Holiday Give. Share. CARE! Drive. At checkout, customers can tear off a coupon and hand it to the cashier. A coupon for $2 feeds one person breakfast; $3 feeds one person lunch; and $5 feeds one person dinner. The coupon shoppers choose will be added to their grocery bill, and the tax deductible contribution will be noted on their receipt. One hundred percent of all donations go to the local food bank assigned to each store. Locally, Save Mart stores in Oakdale and Riverbank are participating in the campaign. Donations at checkout are underway now and will end Friday, Dec. 28.
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Oakdale High School, 739 W. G St., Oakdale will again be the host site for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life in 2019 and teams from Oakdale, Riverbank, Escalon, Waterford and beyond are encouraged to get involved. As an incentive, a ‘Dash for the Stash’ Challenge is underway, running now through Dec. 31. Anyone who registers online and raises $25 is automatically entered into a drawing for a vintage American Cancer Society ‘swag bag’ full of Relay For Life-themed items. Hours for the combined Oakdale-Riverbank-Escalon-Waterford Relay For Life scheduled in 2019 have changed. Always slated over a 24-hour period for past Relay events, the 2019 edition is scheduled for 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, April 27. Team captain meetings will resume in January.
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Give the gift of life – make an appointment to donate blood or platelets by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). As a special thank you for helping meet the urgent need, those who come to give now through Jan. 6 will receive a long-sleeved Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. In this area, a blood drive is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ball Metalpack, 300 W. Greger St., Oakdale. Donors can also make appointments or walk in to the Modesto Blood Donation Center, 1900 W. Orangeburg Ave., Modesto or the North Stockton Blood Donation Center, 2888 W. March Lane, Stockton. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information.
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Golden Agers weekly dances are open to those 50 and older from throughout the Central Valley and are now hosted at St. Frances of Rome Church, 2827 Topeka St., Riverbank. First time guests are admitted free. The annual membership fee is $12 and each Wednesday members pay $5 and non-members can enjoy a few hours of music and dancing for $6. The Golden Agers meet from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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The local REO Speechtrain Toastmasters Club gathers for regular meetings every Wednesday morning, 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m., at Perko’s Cafe, Patterson and Oakdale roads, Riverbank. This is a fun way to learn the self-confidence and skills needed for public speaking. All are invited to come and check out the group. The next meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 2. For more information, call (209) 869-8200.
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All are invited to the weekly meetings of TOPS, Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 1034 that gathers each Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the United Methodist Church, 1480 Poplar Ave., Oakdale. The group features help with weight loss in a supportive setting. Residents of Oakdale, Riverbank, Escalon and beyond are welcome to attend. Call Audrey Oliver at 209-765-7838 for information. You can also visit www.tops.org.
