Around Town (12/15/14)

Republican women

The Merced County Republican Women’s meeting will be today at the Branding Iron, 640 W. 16th St. Meet and greet at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon. The meeting will include a guest speaker from the Salvation Army. Members are asked to bring food items to donate to the Salvation Army and unwrapped toys for the Toys for Tots program. For more information, call (209) 349-3971.

Christmas Eve service

The Christmas Eve Service of Candle Light and Carols will be 6 p.m. Wednesday at Le Grand United Methodist Church in Le Grand at the southwest corner of Washington and Adams streets. The public is invited to share in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Clothes giveaway

In the spirit of giving, the Bethesda Apostolic Faith Church will hold a Community Clothes Giveaway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 1822 Canal St.. There will be clothes for men, women, boys and girls available, and each family will also receive a bag of food (one per family). For more information, call (209) 726-0533.

Spirit of Christmas

The 23rd annual Spirit of Christmas luncheon will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Boys and Girls Club, 615 W. 15th St. The dinner is free. Participants will be treated to a delicious luncheon and free groceries. To donate or for more information, call Joe at (209) 726-5251.

Blood drive

BloodSource Merced is having its 2014 Season of Giving drive until Dec. 31. Blood donors will receive a commemorative T-shirt and other items. Last year more than 900 people gave blood, helping to save more than 2,700 lives. The group hopes to collect more than 1,000 donations this month to help 3,000 local patients in need. BloodSouce is at 382 E. Yosemite Ave., Merced, and 1040 W. Monte Vista Ave., Turlock. For more information, go to www.bloodsource.org or call (866) 822-5663 to schedule a donation appointment.

Mental illness support

Merced County’s branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness holds biweekly support groups for families affected by serious mental illness. For more information, call (209) 381-6844 and a volunteer will contact you within 48 hours.

New Beginnings

New Beginnings Merced is a nonprofit dedicated to saving shelter animals and finding them new homes. The group needs volunteers, especially those who can care for kittens or dogs and their puppies for a short time. Help with photographing shelter animals is needed, as are people who can transport them to rescue organizations, for which no personal vehicles are needed. Call (209) 769-2122.

This story was originally published December 14, 2014 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Around Town (12/15/14)."