Mel Kemp, president of the Winfield/LOFS Chamber of Commerce, has announced that members will be at the Winfield Township office parking lot with the chamber's new mobile food service trailer from 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 28 to collect donations for local food pantries. Canned goods, peanut butter and jelly, pasta, cereal, baking mixes, flour, and other nonperishable foods, as well as toilet paper, paper goods, towels, shampoo, soap, laundry soap and household cleansers, are greatly needed.

Chamber members will also have gasoline gift cards available in $25 and $100 denominations, with the 5 percent profit being split between the Winfield Township Food Pantry and the Christina Food Pantry of Porter Township.

Thanks to the generosity of Amelia's County Market, their Corporate Offices and Winfield Store Manager Paul Peters, the chamber received the trailer as a gift to promote its volunteer efforts throughout the community.

Christmas at Town & Country

Begin your Christmas celebration with a visit to the all-new Christmas production presented by the Fine Arts Ministry at Town & Country Church, 7037 E. 117th Ave. in Winfield.

Seated at brightly decorated candlelit tables, audience members will be served light refreshments and dessert and experience a re-enactment of the events leading up to the birth of Christ as seen through the eyes of three small children. The beautiful settings, costumes, and music of will surely get your Christmas season off to a wonderful start.

Performances begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7. Tickets are $7, all seats are reserved, and seating is at tables of eight, assigned as ticket orders are received.

Call (219) 663-7896.

Fish Fry tonight

Are you hungry, but don't want to cook? Head for Picasso's in the Doubletree Clubhouse from 4 to 8 p.m. tonight for a fish fry offering a delicious buffet featuring ocean perch, chicken, roast beef and pierogis. For those not interested in a buffet dinner, lake perch, walleye and jumbo shrimp dinners are also available. There will be a kid's menu as well.

Cost is $15 per person, or $7.50 for ages and younger. Bring a canned good to donate to the Winfield Food Pantry and receive $1 off. Bring in two or more canned goods, and receive $2 off.

No denying death and dying

Attend a dynamic presentation by two compassionate women from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Dec. 3 at Town and Country Church, 7037 E. 117th Ave. in Winfield. Speaking on coping with the loss of a loved one and letting your family know about your own end-ofnlife wishes are Marguerite O'Connor, M.Ed., co-author of "Griefstruck: When a Death Changes Your Life," and Linda Brown, a family service counselor who specializes in Advance Funeral Planning.

There is no charge to attend. Autographed copies of the book will be available for purchase and light refreshments will be served.

Do you have a special occasion to brag about or news in your neighborhood? Let me know and I will share it with the community. Call (219) 895-6528, or e-mail JimmyGems@aol.com Opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.