Donations

OGDEN — Bob Quick has always loved riding bikes, and over the years he has amassed a collection of them in his garage. So when he had a massive heart attack in 2004, he wasn’t going to let it keep him off his bike.

As a matter of fact, it motivated the 53-year-old Roy man to attempt something difficult — riding his bike from coast to coast.

“I wasn’t going to let it slow me down. I want to show the people that saved my life that I am living and not just sitting on my couch,” he said.

Quick is dealing with advanced stages of coronary artery disease, a hereditary heart problem.

SALT LAKE CITY — With nearly half a million babies in this country, one in nine in Utah still being born too soon each year, Associated Retail Operations (Macey’s, Fresh Market, Dan’s, Lin’s and Dick’s Markets) has the goal of fundraising $44,000 for the March of Dimes.

The cutout campaign coincides with March for Babies, the March of Dimes signature event that occurs in four locations around Utah in April and May.

Team members will sell the cutouts at checkout registers through May 13 and ask customers to sign their name or the name of a baby they love, creating an impressive in-store display.

OGDEN — The economic struggles of Top of Utah residents are translating into hard times for the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank.

At the end of March, the food bank disbanded a rent-assistance program that had served area residents for more than a decade.

“We’re running at a huge deficit right now,” said Northern Utah Catholic Community Services Director Marcie Valdez. “It was a difficult, difficult decision. Every day, 20 to 30 people come in looking for housing. … It does leave a huge gap in the community.”

SALT LAKE CITY — There is a hub of humanitarian relief effort here that draws people to this city from many Western states to spend a week sewing items and assembling kits for those in need around the globe.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has a small warehouse, called UMCOR West, at 1479 S. 700 West. It’s one of a handful of such warehouses UMCOR has across the country.

The warehouse is a destination point for mission trips for not only Methodists but also for members of all faiths and spiritual backgrounds.

“The great thing about UMCOR in general, we are faith-based but we are nonproselytizing,” said the Rev. Brian Diggs, who runs the warehouse. “We can have people of any affiliation come in.”

OGDEN — The ripple effects from federal sequestration are swamping the operating budget of Your Community Connection, forcing the service center to turn away potential victims of abuse.

The federal across-the-board cuts, known as sequestration, have reduced the YCC’s 2012-13 fiscal year operating budget by about $79,000. The YCC’s annual operating budget is approximately $1.2 million, but demand for services for abuse victims is up, said YCC Director Julee Smith.

Two federal grants the YCC depends on — the Victims of Crime Act grant and the Violence Against Women Act grant — were reduced by sequestration, she said.

SOUTH OGDEN — The city is seeking volunteers to help fill more than 20,000 Easter eggs for the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

The hunt will be held at 9 a.m. March 30 at Friendship Park, 655 E. 5500 South. Children ages 1 to 12 are welcome to attend.

Free photos with the Easter Bunny will start at 8 a.m. and resume after the hunt.

If you are interested in helping to fill the eggs with candy and coupons, call 801-622-2705 or email cmcbride@southogdencity.com.

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill giving state taxpayers the option of checking a box on the state tax returns to potentially help the Boy Scouts has cleared a House committee review.

Members of the House revenue and Taxation Standing Committee voted Monday to give a favorable recommendation to HB 145, which would provide the income tax donation option to the Scouts as a check-off box. The bill now advances to the House for further consideration.