Last year was a busy one for Manteca Love INC (In the Name of Christ), a faith-based organization in town.

They helped 573 families obtain food. They provided furniture and other goods to 366 families. Twenty-eight families avoided having their water and utility services turned off, thanks to Love INC’s intervention. Sixteen families needing a place to stay for the night were able to stay at area hotels with the help of the non-profit organization’s emergency assistance. Emergency gasoline vouchers were also handed out to 33 families in need. And 145 families did not go without a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings with the help of Love INC.

At Christmas, 60 families were able to share a holiday meal provided by the organization. Working along with the Manteca Unified School District, and by coordinating a separate holiday gift-giving project, Love INC. also was able to provide Christmas gifts to approximately 600 needy children in the area.

As many as the above numbers are, there were hundreds more needy people that Love I.N.C. could have helped.

“In 2011, Love INC received over 1,650 requests for assistance. Love INC. and was able to provide assistance to over 1,200 of these calls,” volunteer members Ann Smith and Raschelle Mullette stated in an e-mail to the Bulletin.

Money that was used to provide the assistance mentioned above came from the proceeds of last year’s garage sale conducted by the organization. The effort netted the group $1,344.09.

They are hoping to raise more money from the third annual garage sale fund-raiser to be held at two locations on Saturday, June 16, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The first one will be at the parking lot of Golden West Elementary School on North Main Street just across from the Cardoza East shopping center on the corner of Louise Avenue, and at 1774 Fleabane Lane in Manteca.

A wide variety of items will be on sale ranging from clothes to stereos and television sets, toys for babies, office supplies, and furniture, Mullette stated. The donations came from various families in the area. Northgate Church donated several items including a “nursery-style wall crib” that holds up to four babies – “perfect for twins or more.” Crossroads Grace Community Church also helped round up things for the sale.

They already have collected donations from various individuals and groups for the garage sale which have been kept in storage, so they will need volunteers to help pick up “items from the storage units on Friday, holding them in their vehicles, and then delivering them to the school so we can set up between 6 and 7 a.m. Saturday,” she said.

They are also looking for “about 20 to 25 people to help at the sale (on) Saturday between 8 a.m. to around 2 p.m.”

Anyone who would like to volunteer and help Love INC raise money for a good cause is asked to contact Done Jones at 823-8280 or Ann Smith at (209) 679-6881.

Love INC is solely supported by donations from a dozen churches in the Manteca area and from various individuals. For further details on the organization, visit http://loveincmanteca.org/ or like them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LoveINCManteca.