CLUES TO SOURCE OF HAUNTING PHOTO?

Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY

Odds and ends from around the Valley.

The snapshot has been sitting on my desk for a couple of weeks now, drawing me in.

Who is the old woman sitting on a porch with a small child in her lap, and what's in that big, old taped-and-tied-up cardboard box at her feet?

Is she coming or going, and why does she look so sad?

The picture fell out of an old book Anita Beckendorf of Canoga Park bought a few months ago at a thrift shop. She put it away but found herself coming back to the photo every few days, wondering.

``I kept thinking it's the kind of picture that may be precious to someone,'' Anita said. ``I know trying to find them may be like a note in a bottle afloat the ocean, but. ... ''

But, what the heck. What good is having a column if you can't help solve a little mystery once in a while?

Here's the only clue we have. Inside the front of the book is a gold label with a handwritten name and date on it - Iris Penaranda, 12-04-95. At the time, it looks like she was living in North Hills.

If anyone knows Iris or the woman and child in the picture, give me a call at the paper - 818-713-3749 - and we'll get this photo back to the family.

< One of the Valley's most successful grass-roots summer efforts is the back to school shopping spree for economically disadvantaged school kids, sponsored by the Valley Interfaith Council and L.A. County Department of Children's and Family Services.

Last Saturday, 108 kids from low-income families got a free breakfast and $100 each to buy new school clothing at three Mervyn's California locations in the Valley, but 72 more had to be turned away because there wasn't enough money.

``We had 180 applications (screened for need by children's services), and only enough money for 108 kids,'' said Julie Brumana, program director for interfaith council's Alliance for the Care of Abused Children.

Mervyn's puts in $8,000 to sponsor 80 kids, and an additional $2,800 was raised from outside groups and volunteers, like the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills, to buy school clothes for another 28 needy kids.

``We want to grow the program next year because having to turn away any child in need like this hurts,'' she said.

If you're interested in helping an economically disadvantaged student start school next year looking sharp, give Julie a call at [phone], Ext. 3016.

< Congratulations to the wonderful, nonprofit organization MEND - Meet Each Need with Dignity - which is celebrating its 30th year of operation in the San Fernando Valley this year.

Of all the incredible success stories that have crossed my desk over the years, MEND ranks right up there at the top.

It started 30 years ago in a garage on Mayall Street in Mission Hills where Ed and Carolyn Rose decided one day they had more than enough for their own family so why not share with their neighbors?

Every Saturday morning, they started handing out donated clothes and used furniture to needy families in their neighborhood.

Today, MEND is a multimillion-dollar operation that feeds, shelters and clothes an average of 20,000 people a month in the San Fernando Valley through 13 different programs.

``We now have more than 1,200 volunteers, and more than $4 million in revenues collected from cash donations and in-kind contributions,'' said Marianane Haver-Hill, executive director of MEND.

``And it all started in the Roses' garage,'' she said.

< And, finally, here's a joke Perry and Olga Atkin sent me that's perfect for parents with teen-age kids lusting after the family car keys. Enjoy.

A young boy had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his father, a rabbi, if they could discuss his use of the family car.

His father took him into his study and said, ``I'll make a deal with you. You bring your grades up, study your Talmud a little, get your hair cut, and then we'll talk about it.''

After about a month, the boy came back and again asked his father if they could discuss his use of the car.

They again went into the father's study where the father said, ``Son, I've been very proud of you. You have brought your grades up, you've studied the Talmud diligently, but you didn't get your hair cut.''

The young man waited a moment and then replied, ``You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that. You know Samson had long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair.''

The rabbi said, ``Yes, and they walked everywhere they went.''

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Photo:

This picture fell out of a book Anita Beckendorf bought at a thrift shop.