Fallbrook wineries unite with St. John's to support young Marine families

FALLBROOK – St. John's Episcopal Church hosted its first ever "Fallbrook Vintners' Wine Showcase,'' a gala wine tasting and auction event Saturday, Oct. 15, to benefit the Pendleton Community Service Fund.

This organization, an affiliate of Camp Pendleton Rotary, gathers and distributes "gently used" furniture and household goods free-of-charge to young, enlisted Marines and needy veterans.

Linda Sundram, founder of the Fund, explained in her opening remarks that "most young Marine families move into Camp Pendleton housing with few possessions, yet we have over the past four years helped some 37,000 of these families transform their bare quarters into real homes."

Four Fallbrook area vintners furnished wines for tasting: Estate d' Iacobelli, Fallbrook Winery, Myrtle Creek Vineyards and Sblendorio Winery. Faro Trupiano of 127 West Social House ensured that guests were well-supplied with Italian party foods, while guitarist Kevin Yuen was there to serenade them.

Following a delightful evening of discovering Fallbrook wines, partaking of delicious food and engaging in a lively wine auction, Marti Van Houten, St. John's event coordinator, closed with a big "Thank you!" to all whose cooperation made the showcase such a success.

St. John's was recently designated a "Veteran/Military Friendly Congregation" by the Military Chaplains Association and hopes that this will be the first of many efforts to demonstrate its support for its military community. Anyone wishing to donate furniture to the Pendleton Community Service Fund should visit http://www.cpcsf.org for more information.

Submitted by St. John's Episcopal Church.