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Group of Cereans to pay it forward on April 26
Public can help donate goods to be given away
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This was the scene of a Pay It Forward event staged by Ceres residents in front of the Brave Bull bar on South Ninth Street in Modesto. A second event will be held on Saturday, April 26. Only donated goods and foods are distributed to the less fortunate and anyone may help by contacting Terika Ramsdell. - photo by Contributed to the Courier

A group of Ceres residents with a giving spirit are planning to stage a second ‘Pay it Forward' type of event, helping to feed and clothe lower income people along South Ninth Street in Modesto.

In December Terika Ramsdell and some friends distributed food and clothing and other items in the parking lot of the Brave Bull. She said it went well despite a small effort to publicize it.

"It was really good," said Ramsdell. "We fed a lot of people, clothed a lot of people."

The next event will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26 at the Brave Bull parking lot on South Ninth Street. The plan is to cook hotdogs and serve potluck type of foods, including beans and spaghetti.

Ramsdell said the effort is to distribute donated goods and said money is not collected. The community has helped donate items through Facebook. Ceres residents can help out by donating clothing, and commodities such as toilet paper, disposable razors, and bathroom samples like shampoos and conditioners, Tylenol and antacid tablets which are repackaged into small ziplock baggies. Items are collected at Ramsdell's house or at the event at the Brave Bull on April 26.

"Basically we're a bunch of people from the community. I saw that ‘Pay it forward' ... it's been going crazy on Facebook.

Ramsdell said she was prompted to help others after reading a quote which says: "I gave not because I have much but I know what it feels like to have nothing."

"It touched my heart so much," said Ramsell, "that we just sat around one day at the table and I said, ‘I've got a few extra clothes and I've got some extra beans in the cupboard.' I started asking a couple of friends and everybody was like, yeah, let's make a day of it and go down and just feed people. We said even if we feed one person or three people that's somebody that's not hungry."