Not even triple-digit temperatures were able to stop Manteca Police Sergeant Mike Aguilar from doing his part to help the community.
With the mercury cruising past 100 degrees Monday afternoon, Aguilar was on hand at the Manteca Police Officers Association fireworks booth at the corner of Union Road and Yosemite Avenue at the Manteca Marketplace shopping center to set up after the city-mandated start time of noon.
While business wasn’t exactly booming on the first of seven days for the booth, Aguilar thinks that things will pick up soon enough as the Fourth of July holiday – which fireworks companies estimate accounts for 60 percent of all sales – quickly approaches.
“The money that we raise goes towards things that we sponsor throughout the entire year,” Aguilar said. “This is pretty much our biggest fundraiser, and it allows us to do things like purchase things at Christmas for kids that come from low-income families and help out other less-fortunate people during the holidays.”
Over across town, Mike and Diana Daily were also braving the scorching heat – the first triple-digit heat-wave in nine months – as they put the finishing touches on a booth that will raise money to go towards Calvary Community Church’s food pantry program that helps keep upwards of 100 families from going hungry.
Even though the church didn’t have a booth last year – with only 18 allowed by the ordinance passed by the City Council that allows for the sale and use of safe-and-sane fireworks – Mike Daily said he hopes that sales this week will help fund the program for at least the next year, if not longer.
“We’re hoping to make it work for at least a year or two, and if we do really well, maybe we’ll be able to expand the program,” he said. “This provides a big benefit for the church. In the past we’ve also supported some of the other outreach programs here in the community – it’s really up to the Board of Directors to determine where the money will go.
“We’re just glad that we have this opportunity, and we’ll be out here every day between now and the Fourth when we’ll have long lines and lots of people. That way we’ll be able to help feed some people and help those who need it.”
The Calvary Community booth will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday – possibly staying open longer if business demands it.
With the mercury cruising past 100 degrees Monday afternoon, Aguilar was on hand at the Manteca Police Officers Association fireworks booth at the corner of Union Road and Yosemite Avenue at the Manteca Marketplace shopping center to set up after the city-mandated start time of noon.
While business wasn’t exactly booming on the first of seven days for the booth, Aguilar thinks that things will pick up soon enough as the Fourth of July holiday – which fireworks companies estimate accounts for 60 percent of all sales – quickly approaches.
“The money that we raise goes towards things that we sponsor throughout the entire year,” Aguilar said. “This is pretty much our biggest fundraiser, and it allows us to do things like purchase things at Christmas for kids that come from low-income families and help out other less-fortunate people during the holidays.”
Over across town, Mike and Diana Daily were also braving the scorching heat – the first triple-digit heat-wave in nine months – as they put the finishing touches on a booth that will raise money to go towards Calvary Community Church’s food pantry program that helps keep upwards of 100 families from going hungry.
Even though the church didn’t have a booth last year – with only 18 allowed by the ordinance passed by the City Council that allows for the sale and use of safe-and-sane fireworks – Mike Daily said he hopes that sales this week will help fund the program for at least the next year, if not longer.
“We’re hoping to make it work for at least a year or two, and if we do really well, maybe we’ll be able to expand the program,” he said. “This provides a big benefit for the church. In the past we’ve also supported some of the other outreach programs here in the community – it’s really up to the Board of Directors to determine where the money will go.
“We’re just glad that we have this opportunity, and we’ll be out here every day between now and the Fourth when we’ll have long lines and lots of people. That way we’ll be able to help feed some people and help those who need it.”
The Calvary Community booth will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday – possibly staying open longer if business demands it.
