Paula Deen – best known for her traditional southern cooking on the Food Network – is coming to Sacramento for a live show on Feb. 3. While Deen will cook at the Community Center Theater that evening, she’ll focus on what she said she cherishes most about fame – meeting people she never would have met in her life as a bank teller. “I’ll just visit with people,” Deen said. “It’s kinda like coming into my living room, us getting to know each other. People come in and forget everything that irks them.” Deen will appear on stage with her husband, Michael Groover, whom she describes as shy, funny and a great cook. “He has got the keenest sense of humor,” Deen said. “He’s one of the funnies

Earlier this week, the local owners of six La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores in Northern California donated nearly $12,000 worth of beautiful La-Z-Boy furniture to a privately funded home for recently emancipated foster youth in Placer County.  Purchased by a concerned citizen and CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteer, “Taylor House” is a six-bedroom, newly remodeled home located in downtown Roseville.  Once furnished, the home will welcome its first young women residents -- all of whom are no longer able to stay in a foster care environment after turning 18 years of age -- within the next few weeks.    To help furnish the empty home, local La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries owne

“It’s getting cold out here.” Kelsey Cottle uttered this while ringing The Salvation Army bell outside Macy’s at Sunrise Mall.  Yet her fellow bell ringers did not care--they were having the time of their lives. “Yeah, they’re having fun,” Cottle said. Meet Carl Virgin and Eulogio Lizarraga--the jubilant bell ringers. Both have cerebral palsy and are confined to wheelchairs, but they do not let it deter their efforts to give back. “It just a good time for them to get out and people to see them,” said Cottle, who is Carl’s personal attendant through S.T.E.P. (Strategy To Empower People) services. “It’s great that they get to see them so happy and that they can do this (volunteer) like e

Wanted: turkeys or ham. That is what The Salvation Army needs for its upcoming Thanksgiving community meal.  "We need some additional donation so we can feed anyone looking for a hot meal this Thanksgiving," said Captain Hendrk Sumter, Salvation Army Sacramento County Coordinator.  "Every bit helps when we are serving a lot of people." More than 500 are expected to come to The Salvation Army Emergency Shelter in downtown Sacramento for the annual free meal.  The donated meat will used for that day and to feed the clients from the shelter program. Last week, California State Automobile Association of Northern California helped the cause by donating 31 turkeys.  Information about how to

PODS of Sacramento provides vital storage and logistics solution for NEWS10’s 21st Coats for Kids Winter Drive. (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) – PODS Moving and Storage of Sacramento will donate several of its storage containers to help collect donated coats in support of NEWS10’s 21st Coats for Kids Winter Drive through Dec 9. Logistics were a nightmare for organizers prior to using PODS®, according to Brian Bills, a lifetime resident of Fair Oaks, Calif., and territory manager at PODS of Sacramento. “In 2010, we supplied three PODS® containers at Swansons main dry-cleaning facility and transported each filled unit to Cal Expo where volunteers from the Salvation Army sorted the coats by size,” B

More than 200 handbags were up for grabs during the October 15 Helping Handbags luncheon and auction. Hosted by The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, a volunteer group made of local business women and retirees, the event had nearly 500 attendees pack the Radisson Hotel grand ballroom to check out the seventh annual live and silent auctions. “It exceeded my dreams,” said Laurel Speier, Helping Handbags event chairperson. “You could see the ladies here in attendance had a lot of fun.” More than $75,000 was raised. All of the proceeds will go to Salvation Army’s programs for women and children in the Sacramento area. “Many of us here are blessed to have (comfortable) lives,” Speier said,

The Salvation Army officially opened its new E. Claire Raley Transitional Living Complex on September 20. The 35-unit center, located near I-80 and Watt Ave., will house families who were homeless. Each family had qualified for this housing program through The Salvation Army’s Family Service Department. All participating families may live in the units from six months to two years. Case workers will work constantly with each program participant to find permanent housing and employment. The living complex is also a clean and sober program. For those who have a history of drug or alcohol abuse, recovery and prevention meetings will be available to them. The new program is a blessing for 32

A German delegation came to volunteer at The Salvation Army’s Family Services facility in Sacramento on June 30. The visit was set up by the Northern California World Trade Center, which is hosting the three member party. The group is made up of two state parliament members, Markus Blume and Roland Theis, and the mayor of the town Monheim am Rhein, Daniel Zimmermann. They, along with nine other volunteers, spent nearly two hours creating 342 food boxes in the Salvation Army warehouse. “People here (the volunteers) are really excited to contribute and help others,” said Blume, member of the Bavarian State Parliament. “We’re really happy to come out and help in some way.” Sacramento was t

After nine months of construction, The Salvation Army opened the doors to its new Child Development Center in Oak Park today. The education facility is two stories high and nearly 14,000 sq ft, and it is the home for The Army’s day care and after-school programs. “To see this come into reality is incredible,” said David Bentley, Salvation Army Sacramento County Coordinator. “We have a new education building that can make a real impact for many families in our area.” The Child Development Center replaces an old 2,400 sq ft modular building that used to house the day care program for 24 years. A capital campaign was started in 2008 to raise the necessary funds for the construction of a ne

Bike drive supports the Mike’s Bikes Sister Shops project which aims to improve everyday life in Africa, one bike at a time. (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) – PODS of Sacramento and Mike’s Bikes, the largest independent bicycle retailer in the U.S., have partnered at three locations with PODS containers placed to serve as temporary bicycle donation centers and on-site storage during the Mike’s Bikes Africa bike drive. Bicycle donations are tax-deductible and will be accepted at the following Mike’s Bikes stores from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through June 26. 1411 I St. (at 14th), Sacramento 264 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma 1615 North California Blvd., Walnut Creek “Our Sacramento location is deeply roote

Territory Manager Brian Bills from the PODS of Sacramento franchise was happy to oblige a request from organizers to donate PODS® containers for the 2011 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Sacramento held on May 7 at Cal Expo. Officials noted this was the biggest turnout they have ever had with approximately 25,000 people walking, running and raising money to find a cure for breast cancer. Four PODS® storage containers were used as onsite storage of event merchandise and check-in points for race participants. Although he did not run or walk Bills also provided services as a mobile DJ, providing music and inspiration to all who passed by. “PODS is honored to be involved with the Susan

May 12 is the deadline for the Sacramento Opera to raise the final $37,000 of its $122,000 goal by that date – or there will not be a 2011-2012 opera season. In all, the opera must raise $175,000 of pledges and gifts for the season. The opera recently reorganized, strategically aligning with the Sacramento Philharmonic as both organizations continue to suffer from funding slumps as a result of the recession. A meeting last week with 123 opera subscribers and donors to discuss the reorganization, and Sacramento Opera officials described it as “just the kind of engagement needed” in a press release this week. If the $37,000 is raised, the opera season will include “Opera at the Cathedral

“This helps me a lot.” Charmar Randle was grateful for the assistance she just received. She was one of 1,600 families to receive food and other essentials from the January 18 Feed The Children distribution at Cal Expo. “The economy is so bad and that’s why you see so many families out here,” said Randle, a Sacramento resident. “It’s good that they are having this (distribution) right now in order to help those who are in need.” Feed The Children, an international relief organization, delivered four semi tractor-trailers full of food and other products to the event. The distribution was part of Feed The Children’s Americans Feeding Americans Caravan, which has helped more than 200,000 f

Another year and Christmas has come and gone. Relatives are heading home, the piles of leftovers get smaller with each meal and in just a matter of days it will be time to vacuum up those little green needles and say goodbye to this year’s Christmas tree. Each year, tens of thousands of trees are purchased in the Sacramento area. While they can be thrown out in garbage cans or taken to landfills, the city of Sacramento and a few other local programs are offering easy and convenient ways for people to recycle their once bright and beautiful living room centerpieces. Recycling your Christmas tree will not only keep landfills from overflowing, but will also allow what’s remaining to be reuse

When Rosie Carollo was hospitalized at the Sutter Children’s Center, Sacramento due to a rare form of epilepsy at just 6 months old, she was cheered up by the toys, movies and activities in the hospital’s Child Life Program. After her passing in 2004, just shy of her second birthday, her parents, Nicole and George Carollo, were set on keeping Rosie’s memory alive by giving back to the Sutter Children’s Center located at Sutter Memorial Hospital after they provided such great care for their young daughter. “When Rosie passed away, we wanted to do something in her memory to repay the wonderful care we got and to help out other children like Rosie in the Child Life Program,” said Nicole Car

Community leaders and supporters congregated at the corner of N and 27th streets to see the beginning stages of the new River City Food Bank. After a four-alarm fire destroyed the RCFB’s original location Oct. 21, the community immediately responded, and the Sutter Medical Center donated this space for the Food Bank to rebuild. The blaze, determined as arson by the fire department, heavily damaged the building and destroyed about 10,000 pounds of food. Though still a large empty room, save for a few hanging lights and fold-up tables, the new location promises to give clients a more comfortable space and volunteers a better ability to help the community, RCFB Executive Director Eileen Tho

PODS, ABC News 10 and Swansons Cleaners team up to collect coats for 20th annual charity drive in Sacramento. PODS of Sacramento, part of the PODS Enterprises, Inc. national franchise network, is donating portable storage containers to collect donated coats in support of ABC News10 and Swansons Cleaners annual Coats for Kids Winter drive. Donations of new and gently used coats will be accepted now through Dec. 3 at nine Swansons Cleaners throughout Sacramento. Now in its 20th year, Coats for Kids has collected and distributed more than 475,000 coats to children and families in need. This year, goal is to collect 500,000 coats or more. For more information about donations or to get invol

Outgoing Sacramento City Councilman Robbie Waters is giving the Sacramento Public Library Authority up to $150,000. Waters specified at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting that he wants his donation to go toward materials at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library. He announced at the council meeting that he scrapped his earlier terms for the donation. Last week, Waters had planned to give the money to the Library Authority only if the City Council retains the name of the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library. If the City Council changed the name of the library, Waters had planned to give the money to the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Waters said t

The Salvation Army in Sacramento received more than 700 pounds of frozen turkeys from California State Automobile Association of Northern California on November 11. The turkeys were delivered to The Salvation Army’s B Street Center of Hope emergency shelter in downtown Sacramento. The donation was part of AAA’s annual Thanksgiving turkey delivery project, an effort to help meet the needs of various communities during the holiday season. More than 10 tons of turkeys were distributed by AAA to 26 Northern California, Nevada and Utah non-profits. “Our point of view is to give back to the communities we’re serving,” said Greg Jennings, AAA district sales manager. “The Salvation Army does a v

Supporters from the Sacramento area and beyond came to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Francis House on Friday night. Francis House also launched their campaign to raise $250,000 to expand their building. “We are one-fifth of the way there with the $50,000 seed grant from Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, owners of Cache Creek Casino Resort,” said Mike Zeglarski, a member of the Francis House board of directors. The expansion will enable Francis House to provide more services, with extra space for counseling and classrooms. Francis House hopes to ass classes such as substance-abuse counseling. Francis House is a faith-based community that provides life-changing opportunities through resource