Menifee/Sun City Concern Seeks Donations for Disaster Victims

Six people were displaced following a fire on Winged Foot Drive in Sun City Monday night.

Menifee/Sun City Concern, a nonprofit corporation formed to assist local residents, is accepting donations to aid victims of two recent incidents in Sun City.

Last weekend, a power outage left 392 homes in Sun City without power for 36 hours. The residents of Sun Meadows, a senior community with an average age of 75, lost all their perishable food after sweltering in a heat wave with no air conditioning or refrigeration.

Then on Monday night, a fire destroyed four condominium units on Winged Foot Drive in Sun City. There were no serious injuries, according to the Riverside Fire Department, but six residents were displaced, two vehicles were destroyed and losses are estimated at approximately $750,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Carol Sullivan, president of Menifee/Sun City Concern, said her organization opened the doors of its facility in the Sun City Shopping Center to about 30 residents during the power outage and opened it again in the late hours Monday following the fire. As a first responder for the city, the Concern provides assistance to residents, whether it's safe shelter, food or clothing.

"During the power outage, everybody lost everything in their fridge and freezer," said Sullivan, who lives in the area that was affected. "Everyone I talked to emptied out everything they had in there because it was spoiled.

"Most of these people go shopping on the first of month when they get their retirement checks. They had just filled the refrigerator before all this happened."

Sullivan said the Concern will accept donations of perishable foods such as milk, butter and eggs, in addition to cash donations and clothing for victims of both incidents. For more information, call 951-679-2374 or stop by the office at 26814 Cherry Hills Blvd. in Sun City.