Moorpark Bunco Babes Do Good for Their Community By Marques Crutchfield A Work by Writer Junkie It is a common belief that the world we live in is a bad place, and that people are only out for themselves. This notion isn’t entirely wrong, but The Community Link wanted to bring you a story about a local group of women, who even though aren’t “well-funded,” are still making a difference in our community. These ladies go by “The Moorpark Bunco Babes” and they are having a positive effect on our city. Every year, in between November and December, the Moorpark Bunco Babes, or just Bunco Babes, give 50 to 60 chickens to low-income families in Moorpark. (These chickens aren’t alive when the families get them). They also adopt a local family, and give them a Christmas season to remember. Continue reading, and learn how you can make a difference in the lives of people who really need it. Ten years ago, a group of local women started getting together to play the dice game Bunco. The group would eventually grow to 12 members, all of which either work in the city of Moorpark, or live here. Over time, as they continued to meet, they had the idea that they could and should give back to the community. About three years after they started meeting, one of the Bunco Babes went to the Food Pantry, and tried to donate money. The Food Pantry told the group that what they really needed more than money was food. The Bunco Babes were originally going to give out turkeys for Thanksgiving because this bird fits the holiday more than a chicken does, but there were a few reasons why chickens were chosen over turkeys. The main reason had to deal with the difference in cooking time. As anyone who has cooked a turkey knows, turkeys take quite a bit of time to cook. For most of us who live in Moorpark, the notion of a turkey cooking for several hours might not seem to be that big of a deal, but prolonged usage of an oven that is shared by several families is a different story. Conversely, chickens take about an hour, (depending upon cooking method used), or so to cook. The shorter time it takes to cook a meal plays a major factor for homes that have more than one family living in them. A considerable number of low-income families in Moorpark live with two to three other families in one household. For some, this housing situation is temporary, but for others, it’s a way of life that isn’t going to change in the immediate future. Chickens were chosen because of how practical it is to cook them, and the Bunco Babes give out somewhere between 50 to 60 chickens every holiday season. In addition to the chickens that the Bunco Babes give out, they also adopt a family. Adopting a family isn’t a difficult task, in fact, the Food Pantry at the Ruben Castro building has an entire list of families that need help in Moorpark. The Bunco Babes decided to take advantage of this list, and every year they choose a family from the list, take them to the Supermarket, and buy them things that they need. The types of items that the Bunco Babes purchase for their adopted families can vary, but overwhelming the items that they buy for their families are practical, everyday items like diapers, toilet paper and so. The families that the Bunco Babes help out aren’t unique to the city of Moorpark; in fact these families exist throughout the city. These are families that struggle financially, and anything--even something small like canned goods--might make these families’ lives better. If you or anyone you know might be interested in helping a low-income family this Holiday season, please visit the Catholic Charities Food Pantry at the Ruben Castro building on Spring Street.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 18:32:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015