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10 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 5, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Donations helped brighten Christmas for 500 families Continued from page 8 daughter that she couldn't have a Christmas," said Gardner. "When I first met her she just looked at me like, `This can't be happening. I don't know what to do because I didn't tell anyone my situation was this bad.' When she left us she had groceries, she had toys, she had personal items for herself and she had hope." Even Gardner was unable to retain her composure in one instance when she presented a young girl with a Barbie doll. "Her face lit up so bright, even I cried," she said. No less appreciated was the Christmas Dinner the Salvation Army held on Dec. 23, which treated 182 people to a turkey dinner with all the trimmings that they otherwise might not have had. Gardner notes that a lot of happy children got to see Santa that night and got to go home with gifts and full bellies. The adults at the dinner were no less touched by the evening. "We had a lady walk up to the buffet table and she was so excited to see cranberry sauce and she looked at us and said, `This is the only Christmas I get. Without this dinner, I just don't get Christmas,'" said Gardner. "It was just very moving." While Gardner said the Salvation Army is continuing to accept donations at 1225 Rebecca St., the primary message she wants to convey is one of gratitude to every person who has already donated money, food, toys, time or anything else that helped to make someone's Christmas a little brighter. "The only reason we can do all the things we do is because of the givers in Oakville. Everybody coming aboard has made a difference even if it's just a child giving a nickel to a kettle or someone just coming in and giving us mitts, hats and scarves, because we've got kids coming in here without those things," said Gardner. "Thank you to everyone who contributed and thank you to everyone who donated anonymously. Our greatest thanks goes to Joe Ragno who gave us the spot for the toy depot, because without him, we would have never gotten the toy depot up and running." What's keeping you from having your dream kitchen? Consider these time, mess & cost saving options... a. Renew your cabinets with our unique "Tune-up". Our exclusive process restores and repairs the finish on wood cabinets (and any other woodwork in your home) to 90-95%. Time: 1 day Mess: almost none Cost: a fraction of replacement. b. Reface You may already own half of your new kitchen! If your cabinet boxes are in good shape, why pay to replace them? We can reface with Real Wood or RTF to match your choice of new doors. Choose from the largest selection of styles and finishes available anywhere. See our website for ideas. Time: typically 2-4 days Mess: we clean every day and you never lose use of your kitchen Cost: 40-60% less than the cost of a new kitchen c. Reface & Re-style Turn the kitchen you have into the one you want. If you choose to Reface, we can change many other things you don't like about your kitchen. Add an island, pantry, molding or even new cabinets to match the refaced cabinets. Time: usually 3-5 days Mess: low disruption, thoroughly cleaned daily, often no loss of use Cost: considerably less than replacement d. Replace Sometimes it's the only way to get what you need. Our Designers will help you create a new kitchen that perfectly reflects your personal taste, goals and budget. e. Don't forget the counter top There is nothing like a new countertop to dramatically complete your kitchen update. We supply and install all types of counter tops. Free In-home Estimate 905.637.3331 Showroom 3480 Fairview St., Burlington Eight "Trustpoints" set Kitchen Tune-Up apart. We guarantee our estimates - guarantee our work - arrive on time - clean work areas daily - return messages within 24 hours - strive for harmony with your daily routine - tell you what we're going to do before we do it - listen carefully, tell it straight and keep our promises. kitchentuneup.com Kitchen Tune-Up, a division of KTU Worldwide, Inc. is a system of more than 300 independently owned and operated franchises To place your business logo or name here, call your Classified Sales Representative today! 905.632.4440