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Volunteers Sought To Assemble 4,500 Gift Bags For Homebound Seniors

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Mayor Eric Garcetti and his wife will join volunteers at the Los Angeles Convention Center Wednesday to fill gift bags that will be delivered to about 4,500 homebound seniors.

The gifts are the result of a fundraising drive, launched by the mayor's wife, Amy Elaine Wakeland, to replace 2,000 care packages that were destroyed Dec. 8 in a fire that destroyed an under-construction, 1-million-square-foot-plus apartment building in downtown.

The fundraising effort exceeded the original goal of replacing the 2,000 packages and brought in enough funds to pay for gifts for all 4,500 seniors who receive home-delivered meals through a city Department of Aging program.

Volunteers are needed to stuff the gift bags with blankets, slippers, toiletries, postage stamps and playing cards, as well as write holiday notes to the seniors.

There will be two volunteer shifts, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., mayoral aides said.

Those interested can sign up at www.lamayor.org/volunteer.

RELATED: 2,000 Holiday Gift Bags Destroyed In Downtown Apartment Fire

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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