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Irvine Foundation Volunteers Help Santa Ana Kindergarteners Start Their School Year on the Right Foo

GSF Foundation

Thanks to GSF-Irvine Foundation volunteers, 100 pairs of brand new shoes went to the three incoming kindergarten classes at Thomas A. Edison Elementary School in Santa Ana on October 15.

“Mrs. Sue Cogan, a school counselor at Edison Elementary who’s a friend of my mom, was telling my mom how she had been helping a student duct tape his shoes together at school one day,” says Shirley Schaal, Senior Legal Administrative Assistant. “My mom has purchased over 100 pairs of shoes for GSF’s Shoes That Fit events, so she told Mrs. Cogan about the GSF Foundation and the charitable work that the Foundation does to help families and children.”

“My mom told me about Mrs. Cogan and the school and I made a request for shoes to our Foundation Committee,” Shirley continues. “We posted sign-up sheets in the school’s lunchrooms, and 27 of our Irvine associates brought in 47 pairs of shoes. My mom bought another 15 pairs, and the remaining 38 pairs were purchased by Sneha Presad (Senior Staff Accountant), Lisa Gottlieb (Corporate Treasurer) and me through a donation from the Committee.”

In addition to Shirley and her mother, Carol Tanaka, Foundation members from the Irvine office who volunteered for this event included Sandy Jones, Executive Secretary and Senior Administrative Assistant; Kim Slick, Communications Specialist; Liz Brito, Accounting Administrative Assistant; Anushe Shoro, Intern; Justin Calvert, Corporate Office Clerk; Rachelle Navarro, Receptionist, and Annie Butcher (Shirley’s family friend).

Shirley exemplifies GSF’s Creed and Values by “treating others like we would like to be treated.” She jumped into action to help the Edison Elementary kids start their school year right, and led her coworkers in making a positive impact in the Santa Ana community.

This year alone, the GSF Foundation has done more than eight shoe giveaways in Southern California, and six more will take place before the end of the year.

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GSF Foundation

Your contribution can help the GSF Foundation provide food, shoes and other necessities of life for at-risk children and families who would otherwise go without. 

Email: gsff@goldenstatefoods.com

Registered Charity: 501(c)(3)

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