FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove
I don’t know about you, but sometimes wrapping gifts can be a major hassle during the holiday season. Many charities and volunteer groups are helping out shoppers by offering low cost or free gift wrapping services at businesses like Barnes & Noble.
When I dropped by the Barnes & Noble on North San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank late one evening last month, I met gift wrappers Cari and Makhyla Pelayo. Mother and daughter are long time volunteers of the Burbank chapter of the National Charity League. The chapter website says its mission “…foster mother-daughter relationships in social, cultural, leadership and philanthropic training.” Cari Pelayo is a big supporter of volunteer work for girls in order to show them their good fortune. She says “it’s important for young people … look what you have.”
On the night after Thanksgiving, business was slow at the Burbank Barnes & Noble. The mother and daughter team worked 5-to-10 p.m. and only collected about $50 in donations for charity. Hopefully, shoppers will be more generous in the coming days, when the National Charity League volunteers will be wrapping gifts at the Burbank Barnes & Noble on December 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, and 23.
