Members of the Paradise Township Lions Club are continuing their charitable efforts in the community, as well as preparing for an upcoming fundraiser - a soup and sandwich sale.

Nov. 22 was especially busy for the club as members manned a table at the Leacock Presbyterian Church Christmas bazaar, where they distributed information about the club along with free candy. They also invited the community to attend the soup and sandwich sale, which will be held on Saturday, Dec. 20, from 11 a.m. until sold out, in the Community Building in Paradise Park, 6 London Vale Road, Gordonville.

Ham and cheese sandwiches will be sold, along with chicken corn soup by the quart. Food items will be takeout only, and a drive-through service will be available. Those who would like to order food in advance may send a message to the club on its Facebook page.

"We make gallons and gallons of soup," said club member Heather Valudes. "The night before we get together and do all of the prep for the soup. We chop up chicken, hard-boiled eggs and onions and cook it on Saturday morning. The crew starts early on Saturday, so it's super fresh. Our chicken corn soup recipe is really good."

Also on Nov. 22, Lions Club members helped to distribute Thanksgiving meals at The Factory Ministries, where more than 7,500 pounds of food was donated to 230 families in need. The Lions donated nearly 300 pounds of pumpkin pies, while other community donations included hams, apples, turkeys, yams, potatoes, butter, turkey pans and fresh rolls.

The Lions Club supports The Factory in other ways as well, collecting back-to-school items and nonperishable food items.

The club's other charitable efforts include awarding a scholarship to a Pequea Valley High School graduating senior and participating in the Halloween Trunk or Treat in Paradise Park. The club's fundraisers include operating a food concession stand at the Solanco Fairgrounds.

The Paradise Lions Club also holds a Dinner in the Dark to benefit VisionCorps, where attendees eat a meal with limited or no vision. The event is in keeping with the goal of Lions Club International, which is to support the visually impaired.

"Dinner in the Dark (proceeds go) to VisionCorps, which is not an international charity, but it does benefit the blind and visually impaired, which is the direct mission of Lions International," Valudes noted, adding that last year's event raised about $3,000.

All of these service activities take place with a club membership of only 23 people. "We would always love new members. We do a lot of projects in the community and do fundraisers. All of our dollars go right to charities in Paradise," noted Valudes. "You don't have to come to every meeting, but you can get involved, and your volunteering can help to make things happen."

Valudes said that Lions Club membership means donating minimum amounts of time with maximum benefits. "I am a mom of twin girls with a full-time job, but (volunteering) is very rewarding," Valudes shared. "With the food concession stands, you work a shift for four hours on a Saturday, (but) it has impact. It goes into (supporting) Boy Scouts or a scholarship for a high school student or buying school supplies or pumpkin pies."

She noted that the club is flexible and members may volunteer as many hours as they wish. "It doesn't take a lot of your life. It's a part of contributing to our community. It's easy enough to do, and we feel good about that," she said, adding that club members sometimes bring their children to help out at events. "It's a way to get your kids involved."

The Paradise Lions meet in the Community Building in Paradise Park every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. For more information about the club, visit www.paradisetwplions.com or http://www.facebook.com/ParadiseTwpLionsClub.