HELPING THE NEEDY

[January 27] Ramie McDowell, 12, collected shoes for the needy Saturday at the North Gazebo. Ramie, a volunteer at the Sacramento Clothes Closet, organized the event with the help of her family in response to the charity's desperate need for shoes for the homeless and needy population it serves. "People here are so giving," said Ramie's grandmother, Kathy McMahon, as one neighbor, Dawn Beyer, with the help of 5-year-old daughter Kiesele, dropped off eight bags of clothes and three bags of shoes, and thanked Ramie for holding the event. More than 600 pairs of shoes were collected.