IF OTHERS DON'T GIVE, THEY DON'T EAT.

Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY 

Odds and ends from around the Valley:

When Episcopalian priest Jess Taylor and doctor Clem Matzen opened a food bank for the working poor and low-income seniors in the West Valley in 1985, only a handful of people showed up that first week.

``Back then if we got six or seven families a week, we thought we were busy,'' says Jeanne Bain, a volunteer. ``This Tuesday alone, we had 38 families come by for food.''

Now, maybe more than ever, food pantries - like the one at Prince of Peace Episcopalian Church, 5700 Rudnick Ave., Woodland Hills - have become a necessity for thousands of families scraping by in the Valley.

Taylor and Matzen, both deceased now, could never have imagined that the day would come when more than 700 families alone would come to rely on the kindness and generosity of their little food pantry every month, said Bain, who has volunteered there for 17 years.

``A good portion now are seniors, but we're seeing a lot more working poor - single moms who are working two or three jobs to make ends meet,'' she said.

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank this year named the local pantry as a distribution site for seniors on low incomes, and so far about 120 seniors over 60 stop by once a month to pick up supplies, Bain said.

The West Valley Food Pantry is open five days a week, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 10 a.m. to noon Fridays.

On Saturday, Nov. 1, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the group will hold its annual major fund-raiser at the Hilton Hotel in Woodland Hills, 6360 Canoga Ave.

This is where the pantry makes most of its money to buy food items not donated, so it's an important day. For more information on the event, call Lana Tickner at [phone].

The staffers over at Parkman Middle School in Woodland Hills deserve a big pat on the back for coming to the aid of one of their own - Sharon Hanela, 51, an office clerk diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.

``We all learned the true meaning of the saying, 'It takes a village,''' said Lisa Marie O'Carroll, a special-education teacher at the school and a friend of Sharon's.

``All the teachers and office staff, along with friends and neighbors who know this wonderful woman, have banded together to help Sharon and her two teenage daughters.

``At the school, we've drawn up a calendar so people can sign up to bring her meals on an ongoing basis. Her refrigerator is crammed with food now.

``We're raising money to help her, taking her to her radiation treatments, and visiting her at home or in the hospital,'' O'Carroll said.

Sharon's too weak to talk right now, but her card in the office at Parkman says it all.

``Thank you for all the love and support,'' it says.

If you're looking for a way to support our troops this holiday season, and take a walk down memory lane at the same time, keep Saturday, Oct. 18 open.

The Santa Clarita Valley Blue Star Mothers are sponsoring a ``Rock 'n' Roll For the Troops'' event at the Santa Clarita Senior Center, 22900 Market St., Santa Clarita.

It's a dinner-dance that will run from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. featuring the oldies group the Del Aires. Wearing your favorite '50s outfit is suggested.

``All the money we raise will go to mail holiday packages to the troops overseas, and to packages for vets living in the local VA hospitals,'' said Blue Star mom Sharon Ventrice.

Tickets must be purchased before the event. For reservations, call Tina Perez at [phone], or Billie Taylor, toll-free, at [phone].

And finally, the award-winning Granada Hills High cheerleaders will be kicking it up Sunday at the ``Drive Alive Car Show'' they sponsor with the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division.

The show, which promotes safe driving among teens, will take place at Woodley Park in Van Nuys from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to hourly shows by the cheerleaders, there will be vintage cars on display, a silent auction and raffle, vendors' booths, and demonstrations by LAPD traffic patrol officers.

The community event also serves as a fund-raiser to help send the Granada Hills High cheerleaders to the National Cheerleaders Competition in Orlando, Fla., during their varsity year.

All donations are tax-deductible. For more information, call Jay Vaughn at [phone].

Dennis McCarthy, [phone]

dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com